


Your World's a Fantasy

by Toonpel



Series: The World Keeps Spinning [2]
Category: Deltarune (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Attempted Kidnapping, Background Relationships, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Horror, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Jevil and Lancer are great friends, Jevil can do anything!, Kinda Au-ish, Loneliness, Magic, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Puns & Word Play, Slow recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 10:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19060888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toonpel/pseuds/Toonpel
Summary: After being pacified, Jevil doesn't sleep for a hundred years like he said he would, but he does sleep long enough for the Dark World to be freed and the Darkners brought back to the Surface to once again live in harmony with the Lightners.And so as he begins to explore this new world, the jester comes across a couple of skeletons, and the two of them might just be able to show him the world can be more than a prison...Because it's either that, or the world will start spinning out of control to a chaos never seen before.





	1. I Dare You!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, and welcome to _Your World's a Fantasy!_
> 
> This is kind of an experimental story, if I am to be perfectly honest. I'm not entirely sure where this will go, but I do have quite a few ideas I would love to share with you guys...if you actually like this fanfiction, that is.
> 
> I loved the idea of Jevil meeting the Skelebros, and them kind of becoming the jester's guardians of sorts. I just...really wish for them to be a big, happy family...which isn't to say this will go over smoothly, especially since I also have a deep interest in exploring Jevil's insanity.
> 
> Regardless, I hope the characters aren't too OOC, and I likewise hope you'll enjoy chapter one!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Jevil was free.

And as the only free Darkner in the sad imprisonment everyone else scuttled around in, the jester had gained the privilege to do anything he so desired.

What he desired right now, however, wasn't something fun or chaotic. No, he had decided on the simple task of sleeping, just like he told the Heroes of Light he would. There was always room for such a thing, especially when he wasn't in the midst of having the time of his life in a world so free as his own, playing games with whoever might have the fortune of joining him.

And yet as he prepared for a moment of quiet, a vision flickered by, like a dream displaying various images and scenarios that couldn't possibly be real...and yet, it most certainly was, that much he was sure of – even if nothing truly could be in the fake world beyond his freedom. His mind had decided to take a stroll back in time to gather a memory he would rather forget, but forget he did not.

And while Jevil certainly _could_ have chosen to change or even stop this vision from playing out, the jester decided it couldn’t hurt to be reminded of the past once in a while. After all, it was the only company he had other than the few who visited him.

So with that sorted out, the Jester decided to play this vision out, the cold, blue-tiled floor beneath him not bothering him in the least as he snuggled further into himself.

* * *

_Nobody had wanted him back then._

_"He's so small..." Someone had whispered inconspicuously, like he couldn't hear them. Had they not looked at his long, pointed ears? They twitched._

_"It's too bad, really. I mean, just look at how he turned out!" Another voice added, and the little Darkner shrunk further into himself._

_"Do you think he'll amount to anything?" The first one continued with a question that turned Jevil's stomach._

_"Would he even be able to_ do _anything?" The other person answered with another question, flinging the small jester into a deeper pit of despair._

_He clenched his fists, peeking out from his hiding spot behind the potted plant that had long since wilted. Being as short as he was had its advantages from time to time. It meant even the most obvious hiding places became fair game to him._

_"I'm telling you, we shouldn't have let him be a part of our group." The second person – a tall Darkner Jevil didn't feel like wasting time on describing – said, tone harsh and colder than the freezer he had once stuck his hands into._

_The first one nodded their consent. "Yeah, talk about a failure." They laughed. "Let's just ditch the gremlin at our next performance. That's tomorrow, right?"_

_Their companion nodded. "Right."_

_Jevil looked down at the ground, his small frame shaking with emotions threatening to flow over and spill._

_"Good riddance, it'll be a relief once we're rid of that freak. I mean, not only does he look odd for a Darkner, he's even odder when it comes to his personality!"_

_A hum resonated through the room. "Let's go tell the boss. She'll want to hear the good news, haha!"_

_They left, taking their mockery and laughter with them and leaving Jevil feeling empty. He was no longer shaking, his yellow pupils roaming around the small tent he found himself in._

_It was pretty bare, but that was to be expected from a group of traveling performers. A few knickknacks were scattered here and there, some chairs with colorful costumes thrown haphazardly onto them, and several objects were stacked in a corner for entertainment. He had been following them for the past few weeks after having begged them to bring him along, his abilities as a performer most likely the only reason they even considered him._

_Apparently, though, even that turned out not to be enough. It never was when it came to him, for some reason he just couldn't understand. Jevil was talented and extremely powerful, he knew he was. So why couldn't anyone else see that?_

_Jevil was certain he could do quite a lot of things if he put his mind to it. But alas, people were hard to please, especially in a place such as the Dark World, and being a so-called freak didn't really grant him any good points either._

_He turned to gaze at his small hands. In the end, he didn't care about any of this – not really. None of them mattered to him, and he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of bringing his mood down. They never bothered with him, so why should he return the favor?_

_No, Jevil was too cheerful a Darkner to let this get under his skin. Being kicked out was but a minor setback for one as talented as him, and the jester was sure he would find better, more thrilling work soon._

_The performers here wanted him gone, so he would grant them that before they themselves could kick him out._

_Looking down at himself, Jevil noted that he had – at the very least – gotten_ something _good out of this group. His jester outfit was one that suited him marvelous, if he were to say so himself._

_Nodding resolutely, the small Darkner made his way out of the tent, gazing back and forth once he was out._

_No one was around...or so he thought._

_Jevil hadn't even made it ten meters away from the tents when he bumped into someone, sending the small Darkner tumbling to the ground before righting himself in the air. His head spun slightly as he chuckled out of reflex, looking up at the one he had collided with._

_"Ah, he he! Sorry about that!" He apologized as his stare kept traveling up...and up. This new Darkner was huge!_

_Then again, most Darkners were, Jevil somehow being the odd one out and failing to join the game of 'let's all be huge' and whatnot._

_The stranger chuckled back in reply, and Jevil took note of their appearance aside from their towering form. They seemed to be a cat of some sort, and yet also a stuffed toy? Jevil wasn't really sure, but the buttons in place of their eyes and the few stitches on their bluish-purple fur told him as much. They were adorned with bright and festive clothes, something Jevil wholeheartedly appreciated. This guy's garnets were just as fun as his._

_The button eyes of the stranger swirled for a few seconds as they looked behind Jevil, eventually stopping to refocus on him._

_"That's quite alright, no harm done I'd say." They replied, voice low and jovial. Ah, they must be male, Jevil concluded. "Can I ask, do you travel with these performers?" The toy cat pointed behind them, the small jester following the motion to gaze at the many tents._

_His mood fell slightly, but none of that showed when he turned back to reply. "Well, yes and no!" The cat's face scrunched up in a way that beckoned Jevil to continue, so he gladly obliged. "You see, fun stranger! I was traveling with them up until this very moment, and I'm technically still a member of their group. However, they were going to kick me out tomorrow, oh the horror!" He huffed. "So that's why I'm kicking myself out before they do. Hee hee hee!"_

_"Oh?" The other said, smiling in what Jevil thought was contained amusement. "Well, you're quite lucky then, Sir."_

_"Lucky? Oh yes, I'm very lucky, thanks for noticing!" Jevil laughed, but then halted shortly after, a confused look crossing his pale gray face. "But why am I lucky right now?"_

_The toy cat chuckled as he pointed at the tents. "Haha, well those traveling performers are in for some trouble, that's why."_

_Trouble? Why would they be in trouble? Jevil eagerly awaited for the stranger to continue._

_"You see, they've been performing without the consent of our great Four Kings – no license or nothing."_

_Jevil gasped._

_"Exactly." The cat nodded in agreement. "And as you can imagine, them racking in treasure from illegally hosted shows is a no-go for our Kings. I'm simply here to...kindly escort them to their new home in the Basement, Which Just Happens to Have A Lot Of Cages." He smiled. "And you, young Sir, are lucky because – had you still been a part of this group – you would have had to join them."_

_"Ah, ha ha! Life works in such wondrous ways, wouldn't you say, fun stranger!" Jevil said, and then proceeded to bounce back and forth in the air – all the while reveling in the sweet fact that those scoundrels were getting what they deserved._

_"Indeed." The toy cat replied. He held out a large paw. "My name is Seam, pronounced Shawm. It's a pleasure to meet you." Jevil stared at the offered paw for a few seconds before shaking it vigorously._

_"Ha ha ha! Well you certainly seem to have a lot of energy." Seam laughed. He then seemed to think about something before he spoke again. "Say, since you've been traveling with performers, do you have any...tricks up your sleeves?"_

_"Oh, do I ever!"_

_Jevil then proceeded to dazzle Seam with a spectacle of fun, from juggling while balancing himself on a large ball he whipped forth from thin air, to his more advanced – and quite amazing – abilities with his various attack patterns. Hearts here, diamonds there, added with a sprinkle of clubs and spades! He then told various jokes and puns, made hilarious imitations of the creeps he had followed for weeks and then added a few songs along for the ride._

_He also quite literally pulled a trick out of his sleeve. Just because he could._

_Seam seemed enthralled, clapping every so often and even joining in on the fun games as well, and before either of them knew it, they were both in the midst of performing magical tricks and playing games that seemed to end in ties more than either would win or lose._

_The guys from before were wrong. Jevil could do things. He could do many things._

_Eventually, their marvelous show came to an end, and both – being as caught up in the moment as they were – bowed to an imaginative crowd. They looked at each other for a few breathless seconds...and then burst into laughter._

_Jevil hadn't had as much fun in forever._

_"Hee hee..." Seam eventually calmed down, righting his bright cloak. "Would you...perhaps be interested in working with me?"_

_Jevil stopped his mirthful laughter to look up at his new friend. "Work, with you? What kind of work?" He asked, curiosity piqued._

_"The Four Kings are currently looking to hire a Court Jester...and so far haven't had any luck in finding one skilled enough to entertain them. You, however, seem perfect for the job." Seam smiled. "I myself is the Court Magician, so we'll most likely work together to bring about as lovely a show as the one we just performed."_

_Jevil's eyes widened, his whole body vibrating with both wonder and disbelief. Him, as the Court Jester? Working for the Four Great Kings? Together with his new friend?_

_Call him Jerry and ditch him! That would be like a dream come true!_

_"Oh yes, yes please!" Jevil immediately agreed, his eyes practically sparkling._

_"Wonderful!" Seam's own buttoned eyes were just as bright. "I'll put in a few good words for you, but with how well you seem to perform, I'm sure you'll rack in that position in no time."_

_"Yes, of course! Let's go now, new friend who's name is Seam!" The small jester began, already in the process of tugging the large toy cat along. Seam, however, did not budge an inch._

_"All in due time...I don't suppose you've told me your name along the lines of our conversation?"_

_Jevil stopped pulling for a second. "Silly me! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Jevil!"_

_"Well, Jevil," Seam began, and Jevil was thrilled his new friend used his proper name – unlike the others, who only called him by rude nicknames. "Do you know where Card Castle is located? Why don't you go ahead and greet the Kings while I handle these illegal hoodlums?"_

_A light-bulb lit up over his head. That was right, Jevil had completely forgotten about his former teammates. With a quick nod that sent the bells on his jester hat jingling, the small Darkner parted with the toy cat – rushing to his new future._

_A future that shone brighter than anything._

* * *

The memory faded, and his slumber ended. Jevil blinked his eyes open.

He laughed as he sprung up with high energy, bouncing back and forth before floating upside down in the air. "AND HOW RIGHT I WAS!" The laughing intensified. "THIS GAME, GAME HAS NEVER BEEN ANY BRIGHTER!"

His sharp-toothed grin stretched further into glee, but just as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished.

The memories of what happened after he met that _certain someone_ assaulted him (which was quite rude of said memories, might he add).

"UEE HEE HEE!" Jevil chuckled despite the slight souring of his mood. "AT LEAST I HAD SOME FUN, FUN WITH SEAM! HE WAS SUCH GOOD COMPANY, OH YES!"

His freedom was, despite everything, still quite lonely.

If only others would join him here on his side of the game.

And wasn't it just delightful and to Jevil's utterly pleasant surprise when the universe started working its wonders? Because a few minutes after he had thought that – or was it seconds? Hours? _Days?_ \- the same door that appeared when he met those Lightners materialized once again across the bars keeping everyone imprisoned.

It abruptly swung open.

"OH! OH!" He cheered and clapped his hands as he righted himself. "HAS SOMEONE COME TO PLAY WITH ME, ME? WHAT A DELIGHT TO SEE!" The jester laughed.

He eagerly awaited whoever was beyond the door to enter his lair of fun, his mind already running through every possible idea and outcome for games they could play together.

He waited with baited breath, his entire being vibrating with excitement.

He waited...and waited.

And then he waited some more.

Eventually, Jevil got bored of that and floated down to the ground, positioning himself on his J-shaped tail, crossing his legs and taking a contemplative sitting position.

"NOW WHY ISN'T ANYONE COMING TO PLAY, PLAY? HOW ODD OF THEM, WOULDN'T YOU SAY?"

He received no response.

"WELL, THAT'S OKAY! I'LL JUST HAVE TO COME TO THEM, THEM!"

Jevil floated over to the iron bars, humming a merry tune as he decided on what game to play with his new friend – or friends, depending on how few had come. He peeked his head out and looked around, his yellow pupils roaming the dark halls for any newcomers.

No one was around.

"HOW ODD, ODD! IS THIS A GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK? UEE HEE HEE, I WONDER!"

Still, Jevil felt reluctant once he stood before the door. Would he actually be willing to leave his freedom – albeit briefly – for the sake of playing hide and seek?

The answer was; yes, yes he would.

"CHAOS, CHAOS!" He laughed as he jumped up and down before hurrying into the world of imprisonment.

Still, no matter where he looked, no matter which stone he threatened to turn or how high or low he flew, Jevil couldn't find anyone. It seemed that, whoever had decided to visit him, were experts at hide and seek.

The Darkner lowered himself to the dark and cold stone floor, just a few steps from the stairs leading up and further into the Dark World.

He stared at them for an indefinite amount of time before he began to giggle. Jevil certainly was up to a good old-fashioned challenge of hide and seek. In this world – this game – Jevil wouldn't...no, _couldn't_ lose.

Something crossed his mind just then; what if there wasn't anyone around at all? What if no one was hiding? What if he was utterly alone? What if he was insane?

Worries? What worries?

Nothing truly mattered anyway.

But as it turned out, he still couldn't find anyone, even after he left the dark, liberating basement that had been his home for so long. The elevator taking him above was as fun as any other activity, but he hadn't actually needed to use it in the first place, what with the perks of teleportation.

Still, he rode the heck out of that elevator. Ten times. Just because he could.

The Card Castle hadn't changed all that much either (or had it? He couldn't tell – couldn't really bother to remember either, it was still dark, yet darker), but one glaring difference was – again – the lack of prisoners. No one seemed present here either, even after several attempts of finding anyone through either flying around the castle or exploring the outside.

"OH! BOO HOO HOO! IS EVERYONE IN ON THIS GAME, GAME? ARE THEY ALL PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK IN THEIR IMPRISONED PLANE?"

Jevil then decided to use his teleportation skills to check the more hidden and obscure places, those that would otherwise be quite hard to reach.

From one vanishing act to another, Jevil still came out short of finding anyone. The small jester felt his insides jittery with restlessness, and he was also getting a bit tired of apparently being on the losing side of a mere game of hide and seek.

He would have to up his game in order to win, it would seem.

"I CAN DO ANYTHING, UEE HEE HEE!"

With another quick teleportation, leaving only a mirage behind him that dissolved just as quickly, Jevil reappeared right before a blinding light. It was so glaringly different from anything that shone down in the Dark World that Jevil briefly had to shield his stinging eyes from the intensity of it.

That only lasted for about one second before he adjusted. Again, the power to do anything shone brighter than even this light.

"WHAT A BLINDING LIGHT, LIGHT!" The little Darkner laughed, his mood once again turning merry. "IT MAKES EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING SEEM JUST RIGHT!"

His smile then turned into something far from friendly, a shadow hanging over his face and eyes black pits of darkness.

"THIS, THIS, IT SEEMS...IS THE DARK FOUNTAIN, TURNED LIGHT, LIGHT!"

He took a few steps closer to it, hand slowly reaching out. "IT WOULD APPEAR, APPEAR! THAT THE HEROES OF LIGHT HAVE DONE IT! EVERYONE MUST HAVE BEEN LIBERATED, LIBERATED, FROM THE DARKNESS...IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!"

Jevil was now standing right before the light, his excitement knowing no bounds as he realized what all of this meant.

"WHICH MEANS…! OH, IT MEANS I GET TO PLAY WITH A NEW WORLD! UEE HEE HEE!"

And that was all it really took for the jester to jump headfirst into the light, any semblance of hesitation gone with the prospect of playing games in a world he had yet to explore. His freedom would have to wait.

When chaos called, the jester replied.

* * *

The first thing Jevil took note of was how _cold_ everything was, his excited pants creating fog in the crisp and chilled air; which, to the jester's utmost surprise, was fresher than anything his lungs had ever breathed in. It was as if he had been inhaling smoke his entire life and hadn't even known there was anything other than that. The second thing his sharp mind noticed was the pure whiteness of everything around him, his small feet covered in the stuff. It appeared cold and wet and overall unpleasant, but Jevil's own excitement for this new anomaly overrode any lingering dislike he might have had for the coldness.

What was it, this pure white blanket stretching as far as his dark eyes could see? Whatever it was, it didn't hold his attention for as long as one would have thought it would, because he soon moved on to gaze above him, to a sky that was anything but the dark ceiling he had grown up knowing.

It was...indescribable. Was this the fabled surface?

Jevil allowed himself to float upwards ever so slightly, his small gloved hands reaching out, as if the motion would allow him to grasp the shining orb centered in the middle of the vast expanse above him.

"IS IT, IS THIS...THE SUN, SUN?"

He knew it was; it had to be. What else could something as magnificent as that possibly be? He giggled as a few thoughts crossed his mind. How fun would it be to bring this sun down here? Sure, Jevil knew that would most likely scorch anyone alive and roast the earth altogether, but what did that matter? Life was but a game.

Still, Jevil wasn't about to bring that sort of chaos here... _yet_. He had, after all, not even been on the surface for more than a minute, if even that.

Everything around him appeared more dull and gray that he thought it would be up here, though. And cold. Yes, he couldn't forget to include the cold, of course.

The trees were also very bare, which Jevil thought must have made them freeze in this weather. Good thing he wasn't them.

The crunching sound of footsteps behind him brought him back to the present at hand, and Jevil whirled around midair to greet the first Lightner he would have the pleasure of meeting above ground.

It was a human, and a tall one at that – much taller than that Lightner Kris. This one, much to the small Darkner's surprise and excitement, wasn't blue-skinned, but light-brown. Their curly black hair was adorned in a red cap that matched their large red overcoat, and in their gloved hands they held a leash attached to a large, dog-like creature. Jevil honestly hadn't seen anything like it.

The Lightner his attention was focused on stopped a few meters short from him, and then seemed to freeze up much like everything else around them. Their large brown eyes stared at Jevil as he stared back, his grin stretching wider with each delicious second that passed by. The only sound – aside from the sudden howling of the wind – was the low growling coming from the creature bound in their own imprisonment, and Jevil's tail, lashing back and forth in trepidation for what was to come.

Their staring contest was broken by three simple words.

"What the _fuck?_ "

Ah, how eloquent this person seemed to be.

"What are you supposed to be?" The person asked, their eyes never straying from his handsome visage. "I swear, these monsters keep getting weirder and weirder." They mumbled.

"AH, LIGHTNER!" Jevil began, his loud voice making the human flinch. "YOU, YOU MUST KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT THIS NEW WORLD, CORRECT?"

They stared at him, seemingly completely at a loss for words. After a few seconds spend in bewilderment – Jevil didn't interrupt them, on no, he could wait, because Jevil was a patient Darkner – the stranger finally managed to pull themselves together enough to reply.

"No-I mean, yes? I guess?" They said hesitantly, their previously frozen body starting to retreat by taking a few slow steps back, their leashed pet still growling. "But uh, well, I'm sure your other monster buddies can fill you in on that, right? Whatever the heck you're even talking about."

Jevil's grin faltered a bit, but was quick to grace his face again. "YOU'RE LEAVING, SO SOON? BUT THE GAME HAS JUST BEGUN, BEGUN!" He lowered himself to the white-covered ground, bouncing up to the tall stranger with fervor. Said stranger, in turn, seemed to flinch back by the fast movement, as if Jevil had struck them.

"S-stay back!" They shouted. The dog-like creature had by now swiftly switched from growling to outright barking, taking a protective stance in front of the Lightner.

The jester only tilted his head up in amusement. This person really was tall.

"WHY THE FEAR, FEAR? I ONLY WISH TO PLAY A SIMPLE GAME WITH YOU. SURELY, SURELY THAT'S NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK, RIGHT!?" Jevil laughed again, his demented cackles making the human's otherwise tan skin pale drastically.

"I-I'm not playing no game with y-you!" They continued to back away. "Just stay away, y-you freak!"

"FREAKS, FREAKS, WE'RE ALL FREAKS, OH HOW FUN IT IS TO LIVE IN A WORLD OF FREAKS!"

"Ugh, this guy's insane! I knew the new monsters were weird, but this is too much!" The Lightner shouted, then briskly turned around and made to dash away.

Jevil would have none of that.

"UEE HEE HEE! LET'S PLAY, PLAY!" He laughed. "A NUMBER'S GAME!"

Jevil wasted no time in initiating an encounter, dancing back and forth as he usually did when fighting someone, his energy level sky-high and more than ready for whatever the Lightner would throw at him. It was all so _exciting_. Would they fight? Would they try to pacify him? What would it be?

Jevil couldn't _wait_ to see.

"Oh God," The human began, their expression scrunched up in a hilarious grimace. "This guy's nuts."

He couldn't agree more.

Their whole surrounding had, as per usual, changed to his preferred battleground, and the world was spinning, _spinning_.

"What the hell even is this!? How did you do this!?" The human screamed, trying furtively to escape. Their dog-companion stood besides them, its head turning this way and that in pure bewilderment as a small whine escaped its throat.

"UEE HEE HEE! I CAN DO ANYTHING!"

"H-hey," They turned their focus back on him after realizing they were trapped. "Can you knock this off? I know you D-darkners or whatever you call yourselves are relatively new to the surface, but that doesn't give you the right to initiate a fight with me! Th-those are against the rules!" They shouted.

"RULES, RULES?" Jevil laughed. "WHAT RULES, THE ONLY RULES HERE ARE TO HAVE FUN, FUN! WON'T YOU JOIN THE CHAOS, CHAOS?"

The Lightner groaned. "He's batshit insane, isn't he? Ugh, where did he even come from!? He appeared out of thin air!"

"COME NOW, LIGHTNER! HAVE YOUR TURN, TURN! NO NEED FOR CONCERN, UEE HEE HEE!"

The Lightner, most likely coming to the realization that there was no way out and nothing else could be done, reluctantly decided to play along. Jevil didn't know if this was their very first encounter, but not knowing that was part of the _fun_.

_* The world is spinning, spinning._

They began by choosing to CHECK him.

_* There is no strategy to defeat the enemy. Good luck!_

"What? Are you serious!" They whined. Jevil kept dancing.

"CHAOS, CHAOS, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!"

And with that phrase out of the way, Jevil prepared himself for the onslaught of his volleys of five spade bullets. With a short, indescribable sound slipping from his mouth every so often, the jester rapidly teleported to random spots around the human and their pet. He spread his arms wide while his tongue lulled out of his mouth, and the spade bullets flew towards the terrified duo's colored hearts.

Before the bullets could reach their intended targets, however, something unexpected happened. A barrage of bones suddenly sprouted from the ground and intercepted his attack, flinging the spades away from his playmates and in turn saving them from a likely defeat.

Jevil quickly teleported back to his prior position, his dark eyes wide as he took in the new scene before him.

Someone had joined in on the fun, it would seem.

And boy, if the small Darkner had thought the Lightner was tall, then this new someone was a _mountain_ to behold. Why everyone around him seemed so keen on being as tall as possible, Jevil didn't know. But that was beside the point.

A skeleton now stood before him, standing protectively in front of the other two with a long bone held firmly in their red-mittened hand. A likewise red cape fluttered behind them in a dramatic way, their entire body encased in a quirky outfit looking ready for battle. The skeleton's dark eye sockets were narrowed in firm determination, and yet despite the hard look directed at him, Jevil could still discern a gentleness held deep within those dark sockets.

Jevil immediately knew this monster was from the World of Light, a _hero_ ready to save the day.

"SMALL MONSTER, CEASE YOUR ATTACKING OF THIS HUMAN AND HUMAN-DOG AT ONCE!" The skeleton bellowed, their voice on par with even Jevil's own boisterous one.

"Oh thank God, a monster with common sense!" The human behind the skeleton said, voice laced with relief as the immediate danger had momentarily ceased. "Please, save me from that nut-job!"

The other monster briefly turned their skull to look back down at the red-capped Lightner, nodding.

"BUT OF COURSE, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL LET NO HARM BE DONE TO YOU OR YOUR CANINE FRIEND!" The skeleton, Papyrus, turned his gaze back to Jevil (Papyrus was a masculine name, right? Jevil certainly thought their voice sounded male). "ALTHOUGH, I SEE NO NUT WITH A JOB HERE." He added as an afterthought.

"Oh, thank you-thank you so much, the Great Papyrus!" The human continued, showering the skeleton with their immense gratitude.

Papyrus let out a laugh that sounded suspiciously like 'Nyeh-heh-heh', and to this Jevil giggled as well.

"UEE HEE HEE! MORE HAVE COME TO PLAY, PLAY! HOW VERY DELIGHTFUL!"

Papyrus' bone faltered slightly as his hand tilted down a bit. "PLAY? YOU WISH TO PLAY, SMALL MONSTER WHOM I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE?"

"YES, OH YES!" Jevil agreed eagerly.

Papyrus hummed, using his only free hand to stroke his chin...or where his chin would have been had he not been a skeleton.

"WELL!" Papyrus began, once again bringing the bone up to point at Jevil. "PLAYING IS FINE, BUT THIS ISN'T THE RIGHT WAY TO DO IT, SMALL MONSTER! EVERYONE KNOWS IT'S BAD TO DO A VIOLENCE, WHICH ISN'T VERY FUN FOR THE ONES BEING HURT!"

Jevil flicked his tail. "HURT? NONE OF THAT MATTERS, MATTERS! IT'S JUST A GAME, EVERYTHING'S A GAME!"

Papyrus seemed utterly confused. "A GAME IS ONLY REALLY FUN IF BOTH PARTIES ARE ENJOYING IT. THIS ISN'T RIGHT, SMALL MONSTER." The skeleton took a few steps forward, bone no longer wavering. "BUT I, THE EXTRAORDINAIRE PAPYRUS, WILL PLAY A GAME WITH YOU, FOR I AM JUST THAT GREAT!"

Jevil's entire being vibrated with joy. "He-HA! WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL! WHAT GAME SHALL WE PLAY, WHAT WILL THE GREAT PAPYRUS SAY?"

Papyrus smiled wide. "IT IS A GAME OF WILL AND DARING! OH, BUT ARE YOU REALLY UP TO IT? IT WILL BE QUITE DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT'S BEEN COOKED UP BY ME!"

"I CAN DO ANYTHING!" Jevil stated, and to this Papyrus nodded.

"VERY WELL, SMALL MONSTER. PREPARE FOR THE DARING DARE! YOU SHALL SURELY BE THOROUGHLY JAPED!"

"YES, YES, MY BODY IS READY!" The Darkner cackled. Papyrus continued. "I DARE YOU TO...END THIS CONFRONTATION!"

Silence stretched on for a few seconds as the dare managed to register in the jester's mind. Once it had, Jevil felt like frowning and laughing simultaniously, for that dare was surely one of the best indeed. He could essentially ignore it and continue with his own chaotic fun, but that would mean Jevil couldn't do what this Papyrus dared him to, which...would in turn imply that the jester _couldn't_ do anything, and that was just absurd.

"NYEH-HEH-HEH! HAVE YOU BEEN THOROUGHLY JAPED YET? ARE YOU STAGGERED BY MY BRILLIANCE, MY LITTLE MONSTER COMPETITOR?" The skeleton struck a pose, looking very much satisfied with himself.

Jevil was having an internal crisis. If he didn't end the confrontation like the other monster had dared him to, that would mean he couldn't do anything. But if he didn't continue with his own games, wouldn't that mean he couldn't do that either?

"HAVE NO FEAR. I UNDERSTAND IF YOU CAN'T OVERCOME THIS DARE! INSTEAD, WHY DON'T YOU COME WITH ME, AND I SHALL COOK YOU MY WORLD-RENOWNED SPAGHETTI! WE COULD EVEN HAVE FUN WITH THE FEW PUZZLES I STILL HAVE UP IN HOMETOWN!"

Papyrus sure made some interesting proposes, and Jevil actually felt like agreeing to some of them.

Oh well. He could play with the world another time.

"BOO HOO HOO! I GUESS LITTLE OLD ME WILL HAVE TO END THIS GAME, GAME!"

And with a flicker of reality, every participant of the encounter returned to the present, as cold and glorious as it was. The human and dog alike had been SPARED.

Papyrus gasped. "GASP! I KNEW YOU WOULD DO THE RIGHT THING, SMALL MONSTER! I BELIEVED IN YOU!"

That comment, for some strange reason Jevil couldn't tell, made the jester feel slightly better about his apparent defeat. Still, it had been _fun_.

"I-I'm outta here!" The human and furred creature alike turned tail and ran the opposite direction, to a distant town clouded by fog from their point of view.

"LET'S PLAY, PLAY AGAIN SOMETIME!" Jevil called after the retreating duo, bouncing up and down.

Papyrus trudged up to him, and it was only when the skeleton stood before the jester that their difference in height truly became apparent. The other monster was towering over Jevil, making him have to crane his neck up just to see his face. It would have been intimidating, had Jevil actually been capable of feeling intimidated.

"COME NOW, LET US BE OFF TO ENJOY THE WONDERS OF SPAGHETTI!"

And so they were off to a wonder of spaghetti, Papyrus having picked up Jevil without any prior notice as he scurried back to a small town not too far from where they had been. His long strides made the whole trip shorter than what it would have taken for a normal person, but both monster and darkner alike was anything _but_ normal.

Jevil couldn't help but feel elated at the turn of events, even if he was no longer in his place of freedom.

Freedom, after all, could be many things. In fact, freedom could be _anything_ , and the surface might just prove to be more than a large prison.

But there would be chaos, oh there would be.


	2. A Rocky Start

Sans had – as per usual – been chilling in front of the closed grocery store he’d recently claimed as his own, and again – like usual – nothing of particular interest had found place that day. Sure, it was cold just standing there, buried in the snow as he was after not having moved for hours, but the cold never bothered him anyway.

It went, _heh_ , right through him, one might say.

The kid who usually came to greet him hadn’t made their rounds yet, but that was okay. Sans had better things to do anyway, like standing before this shop, doing absolutely nothing.

Sans loved doing nothing, if you couldn’t tell.

He had, at the very least, finally convinced Papyrus to leave the house and spend some time outside. The short skeleton really hoped his little bro would find someone to talk to, and hey, who knew...perhaps even gain a friend? He honestly couldn’t understand how such a cool guy such as his bro hadn’t been showered in friend invitations, but people were hard to please, apparently.

Even in such a small, friendly town such as this.

“heh...at least the kiddo seems to keep up with Pap’s high expectations.” He muttered, nodding slightly to himself.

The first time the two of them had met was...an experience, to say the least. As something that was both a joke and a way of telling the kid to mind their own business, Sans had given them a fake number to the Hotline for Idiot Babies, and let him tell you; the face they made when they called the number not even two feet away from him was _hilarious_. Their usual blank expression had scrunched up in what Sans could only explain as deep and utter betrayal...Kris was honestly a strange one. After all, they had, for a reason the short skeleton wasn’t comfortable with, greeted Sans like an old pal.

Like they knew each other. Like they always had.

And Sans was no fool when it came to stuff like this, but he preferred not to dwell on it at the moment. Kris seemed relatively happy these days, even more so after the Darkners had returned to the Surface.

Imagine having to live underground, huh? He laughed, but there was no mirth in his tone.

Sans thought back to the time the Darkners had been freed, and a chuckle escaped his perpetual grin. Their King – a cute little kid with a blue hoodie and a spade for a face – had immediately went and impressed everyone in town with how well he handled the horde of underground monsters...even if he _had_ arrived with a bang – quite literally. The kid had run over a poor random monster, sending them flying with an explosion behind him on a bike literally on fire.

Sans had laughed. Papyrus had been outraged. The poor run-over monster was a-okay.

But as stated before, the kid – Lancer’s – friendly disposition certainly helped smooth out things such as misunderstandings, rules, agreements and the like. Although, Sans was certain most of that went way over his head, and had therefore appointed his so-called ‘Lesser Dad’ - a freakishly tall and thin blue man with striking white hair who spoke in broken old English (what even _were_ these monsters?) - to handle all the formalities. Not that Sans blamed him; heck, he was still just a kid. Doing what Lancer was doing at his age was commendable, and Sans could respect him for that. It also helped that he had been kind to his bro the first time they met.

Anyway, the news had spread far and wide, and pretty fast too; before anyone knew it, the whole world knew of the newcomers – the _Darkners_ , as they liked to be called.

And they had emerged from a _school closet_ , of all things.

To accommodate for the sudden high increase in townspeople, everyone had banded together and helped expand their small town, cutting down trees beyond Kris and Tori’s house to start building new ones. They did the exact same thing with the south-east part of town, a little ways beyond the school, and yet even after all of that it still couldn’t house every new occupant.

So naturally, most had moved out of Hometown.

Life returned to its mundane normalcy relatively quick after that, especially compared to the scale of the whole ordeal. Sans was okay with that, though. The quicker everyone moved on, the less work there was to be done, and less work meant more time to relax.

Less work equaled a content life.

But if there was one constant the short skeleton was intimately familiar with, it was that nothing lasted forever. The universe had its own way of rolling, and more often than not it decided to throw new equations left and right, occasionally hitting Sans right in the face.

The hurricane that was his brother whirled towards him with quick and eager steps that would have made Sans jog if he had tagged along, the tall skeleton’s focus completely on their shared house right beside Sans’ store. The whole scene unfurling wasn’t unusual in and of itself, but what his brother currently carried in his arms made Sans pause.

Was that a...a _cat_ or something? Nah, Sans didn’t think so, but it most certainly was some kind of short creature. In fact, they seemed positively tiny when being held by his bro...but then again, so did he.

“hey bro.” Sans began right as Papyrus passed him. “picked up a stray or something? who’s the lucky guy?”

“NO TIME TO WASTE ON SPEECH, BROTHER! SPAGHETTI CALLS!” And with that statement the tall skeleton and _still_ unidentified creature rushed into their house and slammed the door behind them, leaving Sans to gaze at it with a slight tilt of his head.

“heh, i wouldn’t wanna _impasta_ on you.” Sans chuckled despite Papyrus already being gone. A muffled _‘NYEH!’_ resounded from withing their home, making his grin widen further. It seemed Papyrus’ pun radar had managed to pick it up regardless. His bro was so cool.

All of this would have been fine, and Sans would have left it at that, because again, Papyrus wanting to make spaghetti was not unusual at all. But Sans couldn’t leave it alone now. Not with the new anomaly currently alone with Papyrus.

“welp,” He began, shaking himself free of the snow resting on his blue hoodie. “guess my break is over. couldda lasted longer.” He shrugged and then vanished through one of his fancy ‘shortcuts’.

* * *

Sans had but one word for the scene before him.

Chaos. Complete and utter chaos.

It was literally the most fitting word, ever.

The stove was on fire. Pasta lay scattered everywhere, and several tomatoes had been brutally murdered, their remains smeared across the walls. Smoke filled their small kitchen, but fortunately – or unfortunately – the window had been broken and filtered the smoke with fresh air. Their trashcan was untouched. Sans raised a non-existent eyebrow.

Maniacal laughter filled the air as Papyrus tried in vain to put out the fire with his pink apron, scurrying back and forth in his panic. Sans turned his gaze from paps and the whole scene to focus his small white pinpricks on the one laughing.

It was a monster, but unlike any Sans had come across...which was saying a lot, because despite Sans’ lazy attitude towards life in general, he did come around a lot and thus knew most people, and they him. Sans’ mind immediately zeroed in on the facts;

Firstly, this monster was a Darkner, and one that hadn’t been introduced with the rest as they integrated back to the Surface. Secondly, they had most likely started this whole spaghetti fiasco, and in the span of mere seconds, no less.

The short humanoid creature sported a rather festive outfit – _a Jester_ , Sans’ mind provided him – consisting of a purple shirt with three black lines reaching their equally black, puffy trousers, and they wore a long black cape below a lime green and yellow collar ruff. To complete the look, they had on a purple and black harlequin jester hat with two small yellow bells dangling from the tips, and they adorned lime green slippers as well as purple mittens.

Sans took note of their round gray face and long, pointy elfin ears, however this was not what caught the short skeleton’s attention – even if it _was_ quite fascinating. No, what truly made this Darkners’ appearance unsettling was their large, earsplitting grin which held rows upon rows of sharp yellow teeth, and their eyes were black and clown-like, their yellow pupils almost glowing with mirth not quite of the sane kind.

Something didn’t feel quite... _right_ about this monster, but Sans liked to believe he was a calm and collected skeleton.

So as a very calm and collected skeleton, Sans immediately proceeded to freeze the strange anomaly with his blue magic, forcing them to halt in their chaotic spree.

Much to Sans’ surprise, however, this only lasted for about a nanosecond before the creature turned to him with what could only be described as a _shit-eating_ grin, and then quite literally vanished from thin air. The little jester reappeared behind him, and Sans went to teleport away as well, out of the strange Darkner’s reach.

Sans might have been surprised, but his reflexes were still top-notch. His hollow gaze zeroed in on the jester as soon as they reappeared, Papyrus still in his merry little world as he had finally managed to douse the flames with gallons of water. The creature was floating in midair, giggling to the high heavens.

Sans began to sweat. The facts swirled around his skull, all pointing to the same thing;

This Darkner was unpredictable, and likely dangerous too. Sans didn’t take too kindly to potential foes, but…

Sans spared a brief glance at Papyrus again. His bro was right there, so could Sans actually initiate an encounter with this hostile monster? He sighed. Most likely not, as Papyrus hated any kind of violence, even if it was for self defense.

So with that in mind, the short skeleton went with plan B, a plan he had just cooked up in his analytical mind.

“so, uh...” He began, taking a casual stance even though he was anything _but_. “why don’t i show our guest of honor around the house before your spaghetti’s ready, paps?”

The tall skeleton in question whipped around so fast it almost seemed strained. His sunny smile told a whole different story though.

“WHY, THAT IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA, SANS!” He beamed, but then halted. Papyrus briefly glanced at the chaos around them, and then seemed to nod to himself as if coming to some obvious conclusion. “YES, THIS SPAGHETTI ESCAPADE IS HAVING BUT A MINOR SETBACK! IT IS NOTHING I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN’T HANDLE!” He struck a pose, and Sans’ grin widened just a bit further.

Meanwhile, their supposed house guest had stopped giggling at the mayhem around them and was now tilting their head in a curious fashion, their focus entirely on Sans now.

“SHOW ME AROUND?” They questioned with a voice that was obviously male. “WHY, LET’S PLAY A GAME, GAME, INSTEAD!”

“nah.” Sans declined in a heartbeat, not deigning it a second thought. He did _not_ want to play any sort of games with this creature, thank you very much. This, however, did not seem to appease the strange jester, much to the short skeleton’s growing headache.

“NO GAME???” He gasped, and Sans had the strangest sense of dejavu when he looked at the Darkner’s now crestfallen face. It didn’t last long though, and as soon as the saddened expression vanished, the strange feeling likewise departed with it.

 _Papyrus and this jester is_ nothing _alike_ , Sans told his mind firmly.

“ALRIGHT!” The jester said, bobbing his head up and down so fast Sans was surprised he didn’t get nauseous. “SHOW ME YOUR BEST, SKELE-MAN!”

Sans raised a bone brow. “uh, sure, lemme start by showing you to the trash then.”

“SANS!” Papyrus interjected, whirling around once more to give him a leveled stare. “THAT IS BY NO MEANS OUR ‘BEST’!” He _nyeh’ed_ , and then continued. “START BY SHOWING OUR NEW FRIEND YOUR PET ROCK INSTEAD! HONESTLY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITHOUT SUCH A CAPABLE BROTHER SUCH AS I?”

Sans nodded slowly, his pinpricks growing in size as he smiled.

“right, sure thing bro.” He then grinned. “the trash after the pet rock then?”

“YES SANS, YOU CAN INTRODUCE HIM TO OUR TRASHCAN LATER.”

“sweet.”

Sans turned away from Papyrus to gaze up at the floating jester...only to be greeted by thin air, the Darkner nowhere in sight. His non-existent gut did a back flip as he rushed through a shortcut to their living room, eye sockets glancing this way and that.

The older skeleton brother couldn’t help the sigh of relief that escaped his mouth when he spotted the small Darkner floating near his pet rock, the jester’s face awfully close to said rock.

“WHAT DOES THIS PET ROCK OF YOURS DO, DO?” He questioned, still turned away from Sans as he held an intense staring contest with his rock. “CAN IT DO ANYTHING TOO?”

“pretty sure it’s inanimate, bud. but uh, don’t tell papyrus that.”

“AH YES, THE ONE THAT IS TALLER THAN EVEN THE MOUNTAINS. DON’T WORRY SMALLER SKELETON, I WON’T TELL HIM.” The Darkner giggled.

That was good, Sans mused, but he didn’t think paps was _that_ tall. The jester started floating upside down while laughing uncontrollably, clapping his hands together in mirth. Sans was just about to comment on it when the other beat him to it.

“I WON’T TELL HIM, NO, I’LL DO EVEN BETTER, UEE HEE HEE!” And with that he proceeded to place a single finger on Sans’ pet rock, and…

It started barking.

Genuine, real barking, like an actual dog had just materialized out of thin air – only there weren't any dogs around and the only thing making the noise was the rock that now _rocked_ slightly with each bark.

Sans’ jaw dropped.

“what...what kind of magic is _that_ -” The short skeleton started, but the yelling of their house guest once again interrupted him.

“NOW I WON’T HAVE TO KEEP ANY SECRETS FROM YOUR NICE BROTHER, NO, NO, FOR IT IS INANIMATE NO MORE!” The jester then proceeded to fly out of the window that was – _thankfully_ – open, leaving the small skeleton alone with a loud and very much alive pet rock.

“uhh-” Sans didn’t know what to say. This was all too much for a lazybones such as him. This guy seemed to possess even more bounce and energy than his brother, and Sans didn’t think such a thing was actually possible.

“OH NO!!” Came Papyrus’ voice from the kitchen. “HAS THAT DREADED ANNOYING DOG RETURNED TO OUR HOME!?”

Sans turned his gaze towards the kitchen. “eh, no paps, that’s not the case. my pet rock’s just...” He looked at it, still rocking back and forth, to the point where it threatened to fall off the table. “stating its complaints.”

“YOUR PET ROCK IS COMPLAINING???” Papyrus appeared from the kitchen, glancing at the rock with wide eyes. “I SEE...IT MUST BE DEMANDING YOU TAKE IT FOR A WALK!” His bro seemed to conclude, completely disregarding the fact his rock had never even barked before.

“what, no-”

“YES SANS, IT’S A WONDER IT HASN’T STARTED COMPLAINING BEFORE! YOU ALWAYS FORGET TO FEED IT AND TAKE IT ON WALKS!”

Sans was about to argue his case further when it hit him. His perpetual grin widened even further, his white pinpricks growing in size as he chuckled slightly to himself.

This opportunity was too good to pass.

“okay, paps.” He began, and his brother turned his attention from the rock to Sans.

“since this seems to be quite a _rocky_ start to things, i guess i’ll take it for a walk. i just hope it won’t _bark_ up the wrong tree, if you know what i mean.”

Papyrus stilled. “...SANS, DID YOU JUST-”

“and since you’re always _rocking_ my world, bro, i guess i’ll stop my pet’s barks from further launching off like a _rock_ et.”

“NYEH! STOP RIGHT THIS INSTANT, SANS! I WILL NOT HEAR ANY MORE OF THESE PUNS WHILE YOUR PET ROCK IS DEMANDING YOUR ATTENTION!”

Sans did not stop. “no worries paps, i’ll _fetch_ the leash right now, because this rock’s un _leashed_ its inner dog.”

The displeased yell his brother made could have shaken their house. Needless to say, Sans was immensely pleased with himself.

“UGH, SANS! GO TAKE YOUR PET ROCK DOG THINGY FOR A WALK NOW!” Papyrus said, stomping back into the kitchen. “AND WHEN YOU GET BACK, I’M TAKING YOU TO OUR TIME OUT CORNER!”

“...time out corner? we have one of those?”

“WE DO NOW!”

And so that was how Sans found himself standing outside their house, leash in hand and a still barking pet rock behind him. His breath came out as fog in the chilled air, and the small skeleton contemplated on what to do now.

“first,” He mumbled, trudging through the snow in a random direction. The rock behind him gathered snow along the way as it was dragged along, its barks being muffled by the action.

“i guess i’ll find that strange jester. paps asked me to, after all. can’t say no to a face like that, heh.” Sans chuckled.

Papyrus had demanded he find this new _‘friend’_ again, seeing as he had yet to taste The Great Papyrus’ _Great_ Spaghetti.

The only problem was, Sans had absolutely no idea where the Darkner could be.

“where to go, sans?” He asked himself.

A loud _‘BOOM’_ made him startle slightly, the short skeleton turning around to the noise near the Hospital not too far from where he was. Smoke came billowing out of a building nearby, and shouts and laughter filled the air.

“i guess i know where to go now.”

He sighed. Sans really wished he could just call it quits, turn around and pretend none of this was any of his business...but, he couldn’t do that anymore, could he? Sans couldn’t afford not to care anymore.

So with that in mind, the pun-loving skeleton teleported to the place of apparent chaos, HOPING things wouldn’t take a turn for the worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't tell you how much fun I had coming up with those puns. I just love wordplay :'D


	3. Dropped Luggage

The night air was crisp and the light had been switched back to the darkness Jevil was used to, the bright orb that was the sun having been replaced by a round, glowing silver ball with lots of craters in it.

Jevil had absolutely no idea what it was, but he could appreciate the light it gave as there seemed to be no crystals up in the so-called sky. Instead, the jester found that there were countless stars glimmering above him, which made for quite the mesmerizing sight.

But as mesmerizing as it was, it still didn’t hold his full attention. His freedom wasn’t up there, after all, even if it did look prettier.

As it was, Jevil had been flying around the colorful village for a few minutes when something else caught his attention. He squinted his dark eyes as he turned to get a better look at the thing that appeared just ahead of him, his body coming to a halt and floating in the air.

It appeared to be a small yellow lizard of some sort, dragging themselves along in an oversized pink pajamas, a large black suitcase held firmly in their small, clawed hands.

Jevil didn’t really care about where they were going or even what they were doing, and he would have left them to do whatever they intended to, had it not been for one small factor;

“N-no one can know what I h-have in this suitcase...” The woman whispered to herself, Jevil’s sensitive ears picking it up with rapt attention.

The jester froze, his eyes widening. Had she just...implied that _no one_ was capable of knowing what she was hiding in that suitcase?

Jevil felt his entire body twitch. He had to know what was in it now.

“I CAN DO ANYTHING!” He yelled, and then proceeded to tackle the yellow lizard with all his might.

“Wh-what!?” She squeaked, clutching the briefcase closer to her chest as she was quite literally picked up from the ground and brought along for a ride. When she looked down at the ground, now several feet below her own, she screamed, her legs thrashing and head turning to look at who had nabbed her.

Jevil gave her a large grin, his eyes black slits of mirth.

“YOU CAME ALONG?” He questioned, and then laughed. “UEE HEE! I’M AFRAID THIS ISN’T MY FAMED CAROUSEL RIDE!”

Even though it hadn’t been more than a few seconds since he picked up the briefcase and its additional luggage, the three of them had already made it quite far with how fast Jevil was going. A little ways ahead of them stood another monster, this one tall and blue and clad in a uniform that reminded the small jester of the guards at Card Castle. Their back was turned to them, having stopped a car and its unfortunate occupant of which the uniformed monster seemed to be yelling at.

“L-let m-me go!” The yellow lizard pleaded, and Jevil shrugged. He had gotten the briefcase now, held firmly in the hand not being clutched by the hitchhiker.

“SURE, SURE, IF YOU SAY SO!”

And with that he threw the lizard away, cackling with joy as his chaotic aim managed to hit the blue monster square in the face...or the back of it, at least. Both monsters yelled in unison, crashing to the ground in a heap of thrashing limbs as they both tried their best to free themselves. Jevil gave them a salute before speeding ahead, briefcase still in hand.

“IT IS NOW MINE, MINE! OH HOW I WONDER WHAT THIS BLACK TREASURE CHEST HOLDS!”

Once he felt he had distanced himself enough from the scene, Jevil ripped the hinges off the briefcase and opened it with one swift motion. Instead of treasure or something scandalous, though, all that tumbled out of it was…Instant noodles?

Jevil’s smile fell a bit.

Ah, wait. As he floated down to the ground, his lime-green slippers kicked the useless noodles away to reveal something beneath the heap. What greeted his sight was a couple of magazines, however all of their covers displayed drawings of two or even _three_ men embracing, some kissing and others...Jevil’s yellow slits vanished.

“AH, HOW SCANDALOUS! UEE HEE HEE!”

An earthshaking roar snapped Jevil out of his discoveries, making the jester whip around to face whatever made that chaotic noise.

“YOU!” An enraged female voice all but screamed, and Jevil found himself smiling from ear to ear, his laughter coming out as loud and deranged.

It seemed he managed to anger the large blue monster, who was now running at him with such speed it reminded him of a fusion between a shark and a tank. Each time her feet hit the ground, small cracks and dents was left seen in her wake. Needless to say, she was fast approaching, and Jevil thought he could see the yellow lizard from before tucked under one of the redhead’s arms, flailing like a fish out of water.

“In the name of the Law-” She began, her eyes zeroing in on him like a sniper, her only goal his likely demise...or imprisonment, if her uniform held any merit.

“UGH, who CARES about the law, you’re DEAD MEAT!” She continued, now mere feet away from him.

Jevil teleported behind them.

“BOO HOO HOO! YOU WISH TO IMPRISON THIS BODY OF MINE? THEN CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, CAN!” He laughed as her fast reflexes let her turn around quick enough to dodge his sudden hearts attack. “I AM CLEVER, CLEVER! FAST, FAST! CAN YOU FEW KEEP UP?”

The tall fish woman yelled again, spears suddenly materializing out of thin air and flying directly at him from every corner. Jevil merely began dancing back and forward, several blurry after-images being left in his trail. Not one of the spears managed to hit him.

“Stand still you LITTLE-” She roared once more, even as she herself began to furiously dodge his various attacks, from spades to clubs to hearts to diamonds.

“Knock it OFF!” She screamed, raising her hand. The motion made more spears rain down on him, some even changing direction once they seemed to aim at him from a certain point. Jevil teleported away and flung one of his Devilsknife at the remaining spears, flinging them away and in turn crashing into a nearby building. His tongue lulled out of his mouth as he panted with excitement, the building that had just been hit being quick to catch on fire.

“SHIT!” The fish lady yelled, her focus wavering slightly as she turned her head towards the property damage. She quickly sprinted to a safe distance from the whole chaos, putting the freaked out lizard down and then turning on her walkie talkie.

“This is your Chief, Undyne reporting!” She yelled into the small device. “We have a case of fire, property damage and a rampaging Darkner! Send backup, I repeat, send backup!” She stood in brief silence as a reply came.

“What do you MEAN you’re out buying donuts!? UGH, you COWARDS, come back right this second!”

Jevil didn’t feel like waiting around anymore, so with another laugh he sent a wave of diamonds crashing up from the ground, pelting the unsuspecting blue monster. She yelled out in both pain and frustration as a good deal of her HP got nicked off, her deadly glare turning back to him.

“THE WORLD ISN’T SPINNING, SPINNING ENOUGH!” He declared, and then teleported once again and reappeared behind the lady officer, his Devilsknife brandished in his hands and ready to chop her head off. “BYE BYE!”

She immediately intercepted the attack with one of her own spears, her angry frown turning into a smirk. Jevil raised a non-existent eyebrow. She pointed at him with her free hand, and then slowly used said hand to draw it over her throat. After the motion, Jevil found his SOUL turning green, and he stilled in the air.

“GOT YOU, PUNK!” She roared in victory, pointing several floating spears at him. “There’s NO WAY you can escape now!”

Jevil laughed. “OH? OH?” He said, and with a flick of his mittened hand, the jester freed himself and kicked the fish monster in the gut, vanishing immediately afterwards. The recently named Undyne grunted, but she neither fell nor flinched, her determination to catch him shining brighter than the stars above.

“WHAT FUN, FUN! WHY DON’T YOU RIDE THE CAROUSEL WITH ME? IT’LL SURELY MAKE YOU FREE!”

And from out of nowhere, the huge ducks and horse-ducks that served as his lovely carousel rides appeared, going up and down and back and forth in fast and swift motions, some managing to hit the officer while she desperately dodged those she could. Jevil himself was having the time of his life, placing himself on one of the rides and enjoying the thrill of his games.

“NGAHHHHH!!! I know I said I wanted some action, but this wasn’t it!!!” Undyne said, flinging spears everywhere, making them take intricate positions and letting the patterns help her deflect the many ducks (and horse-ducks).

“What even is this!? What’s going on? How is this possible!” She continued, stating each sentence as she utterly demolished his carousel. Jevil jumped off the creepy duck with the large, black eyes.

“IT’S CHAOS, CHAOS! I CAN DO ANYTHING!” He stated for her to hear, like he had done to everyone else who met him.

Undyne stilled for a brief moment, her face that of utter fury. But then, as she finished off the last of his carousel ride, her toothy grin widened to the point it looked like a slasher smile.

“Punk, don’t lie. You really think you can do anything?” She mocked, and Jevil’s eye twitched.

Was she questioning his powers?

“YES, ANYTHING! HAVE I MADE YOU LOSE YOUR MIND, MIND, POOR FISH LADY!? UEE HEE HEE, THAT’S TOO BAD! I CAN’T IMAGINE HOW IT WOULD FEEL TO TURN INSANE, INSANE!”

“...And yet so says the CLOWN!” She retaliated, but managed to calm herself down. “Okay then, you little gremlin. Can you get yourself arrested and locked up, huh!?” She challenged.

Jevil felt attacked beyond that of her unlimited amount of spears.

“THAT’S CHILD’S PLAY, YOU SILLY GOOSE!” He pointed at her, his grin widening. “BUT NO ONE CAN EVER IMPRISON ME, ME, FOR EACH TIME YOU LOT THINK YOU’VE GOT ME, YOU MANAGE TO IMPRISON YOURSELVES! UEE HEE!”

“Who the HELL are you calling a goo-” Undyne began, already on her way towards him, any sense of her previous plan thrown out of the window as her rage took over.

Jevil, however, used this momentum to visit the freedom of this new world, in the form of locking himself outside these so-called prisons. With another quick vanishing act, the only thing the blue officer managed to catch was his after-image, dissolving immediately when she punched it.

* * *

Once Sans left the void he traveled through every time he used a shortcut, he appeared to yet another scene of chaos. The whole area near the Police Station had been completely demolished, smoke billowing out of broken cars, and the ground had been cracked so much it looked like an intricate spiderweb. Several spears littered the ground, many sticking out of it and some even through the walls, and the Hospital was quite literally on fire. If that wasn’t enough, Sans also spotted the broken remains of what looked like... _ducks_?

The facts immediately assaulted him with what had happened and who had done it, and the short skeleton sighed. If he didn’t have a bad feeling about that jester before, this certainly confirmed the Darkner his little bro had found was a loose cannon. Too loose, and ammo capable of doing this much damage wasn’t meant to walk around free...even if such a thought _did_ make him a bit of a hypocrite. That jester could hurt someone, or _worse_ (Papyrus could be in danger).

His grin felt a little strained as he spotted the sole two occupants near the carnage. Alphys, in her now scorched pink pajamas, was huddled on the ground, shivering as her arms desperately tried to deflect something that wasn’t there anymore. Undyne, the Chief of the Police Station, standing with her back turned to him, had her fists clenched as she muttered something.

Sans hadn’t thought the two of them would meet so soon, and especially not on such terms either, but...well, the lazy skeleton thought it could have been worse. The white dots in his eye sockets briefly vanished as a visage of dust and snow flashed before him.

He shook his head. Sans wasn’t there, that wasn’t _him_.

So with the situation being what it was, Sans did what any other lazy puntastic skeleton would do.

“huh, couldda sworn the weather forecast didn’t mention anything about spears raining down today.” He stated casually, walking up to the two shaken women. They both turned to look at him, and he winked.

“but i guess the rain clouds were feeling _under the weather_ , so the spears didn’t want to _mist_ their opportunity. they are quite _striking_ , you know?”

“I-it’s y-you...” Alphys stuttered, her eyes squinting behind her large round glasses. She picked herself up from the ground, looking around nervously.

“the one and only.” Sans nodded, having now reached the yellow lizard monster.

“Who the hell are you?” Undyne questioned, narrowing her eyes as she punched a stray spear on her way towards the two of them.

Right. Sans didn’t blame her for forgetting who he was. After all, they had only met once, and he and his bro had just moved to this small town a few weeks ago.

“no one special, really. just a skeleton named sans.” He briefly glanced at the still raging fire, the Hospital crew and patients having already begun to evacuate. “uh, but more importantly, shouldn’t you do something about that fire?” Sans pointed at said fire, and Undyne followed it with dawning horror.

“Shit! You’re right!” She yelled, already sprinting at full speed towards the evacuating people. “Damn, that little Darkner SUCKED!”

While Undyne busied herself with evacuating the rest of the patients – one of them being a reindeer monster who protested with all his might – Sans and Alphys was left standing around, staring at the scene before them and not knowing what to do or how to help.

“S-so...” Alphys began, wringing the ends of her pajamas in her sweaty palms. “I-I should probably try to h-help, right?”

“yeah, i’ll be right behind you. but, uh, alph?” He stopped her before she left, turning his complete focus on the new school teacher. “mind giving me a brief summary of what happened?”

Alphys’ whole body shook as she sucked in a deep breath, seemingly to steel her nerves. “W-well, you see...” She began.

“Th-there was this new Darkner I’ve never met or even seen before, a-and he suddenly grabbed my suitcase – y-yes, Sans, _that_ suitcase – and me as well, and then when I told him to let me go h-he quite literally _threw_ me at Officer U-undyne, and then everything just went completely out of control and he fought her and tried to kill her and the Hospital was hit and caught fire and-”

Sans held out a hand, effectively stopping the panicked lizard from continuing her long rant.

“ok.” He said, turning around. “i think i got the gist of it.” Sans stuffed his hands in his oversized blue jacket, the chilly wind going right through his bones. “why don’t i take care of that guy while you help the chief call our neighboring firetruck department?”

Alphys reached out for him. “W-wait-!”

“WAIT just ONE SECOND there, Sans!” Undyne said at the same time, charging towards them like a raging bull. Alphys yelped and hid behind Sans, despite the fact both of them were around the same height.

Sans looked up at the fish monster. “up dog.”

Undyne stopped before them, gazing down at him in confusion, her frown becoming more apparent.

“Up dog???” She then seemed to realize what he was doing, and a profound _NGAHH_ left her mouth. “I don’t have TIME for jokes man, this is serious business, so take it seriously!” She pointed at him accusingly.

“eh, it was worth a shot.” He then sighed. “but yeah, you’re right. this is no time for puns, however great they are.”

Sans was at least responsible enough to acknowledge that much.

Undyne shook her head. “Anyway, my team will be arriving shortly, as will the firetrucks. Did this-” She glanced briefly at Alphys, and then looked away quickly, clearing her throat. “Did this young lady inform you of what happened?” When Sans nodded, she continued.

“Well, I don’t really know you, but we could use as much help here as possible, so do you think you can spare a few hands?”

Sans shook his head. “actually, i was thinking about finding our little troublemaker. see if i can’t get him to stop riding through this rampage he seems to be on.”

“Man, you better not. That guy is RUTHLESS, and no offense, but you look kind of weak.” She replied, looking him up and down with skepticism dripping off of her.

“ouch.” Sans said in mock-hurt. “but fair.” He then conceded.

“still, have a little more faith in me. i think i can handle at least this much.”

Undyne scoffed. “Do you even know where to look?”

“nah.”

“Well,” Undyne mused, gaining a faraway look on her face. “When we fought, he said something about being able to do anything, so I challenged the bastard to lock himself up.” She shrugged. “Who knows, that crazy dude might actually have done just that.”

“huh...” Sans mused. “thanks, that helps.”

He turned to leave again, shuffling past Alphys – who was currently in the middle of gawking at Undyne, her eyes larger than saucers – but didn’t make it far as the fish officer stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. He turned his skull to look up at her, raising a brow bone.

“Look.” She began again, her eyes surprisingly sincere. “I don’t know how strong you are or what you have planned for all of this, but take care of yourself, alright? That guy is unstable, and unstable guys are _dangerous_.”

Sans gave a lazy smile. “don’t sweat it, i’ll be fine.” He winked.

“Just make sure that guy STAYS locked up if he’s really behind bars at the moment. As much as I’d like to kick his ass to the high heavens, I’ll settle for SUPLEXING him up there instead.”

“O-oh.” Alphys whispered, stars appearing in her eyes. Undyne looked smug.

“sure thing. can’t have you go soft on the clowns bringing a circus to this town, right?” He teased, having heard of Undyne’s apparent desperation for action from Kris. The kid was a great source of information, as long as he never joked about having _befriended_ their mom again.

Stars forbid he ever did that. He did not want to know what it felt like to be a dead skeleton walking.

Undyne groaned. “I know!!! But I didn’t mean THIS kind of chaos!”

Sans hummed. “i’m starting to feel like that word describes our jester culprit perfectly.” He then turned around to leave for real this time, none of the other two ladies stopping him.

Once he turned a corner and made sure no one was around to see him, Sans warped the space around him to bring himself back to the prison below the police station.

* * *

Jevil had, as a matter of fact, brought himself behind bars again.

The place itself was as bland as the Dark World had been, only a scarce few lights flickering from old light-bulbs above the gray ceiling, the confined area itself the same dull and lifeless gray. A few metal beds lined the brick-walls, and the whole prison look was completed with the few chains hanging from the walls and littering the ground. But there still seemed to be something missing- ah, no, Jevil spotted the moss growing at the far right corner.

Huh. This did and yet did not remind the jester of his freedom back home. Rather, the place actually reminded him of the grounds above Jevil’s own, the prisons he had come across back when he played hide and seek with the rest of the Darkners (only there weren’t actually any to play with, but that was besides the point).

Now that he was here, though, Jevil didn’t actually know what to do next. He had clearly proved he could imprison himself in their silly little confinements, but what came after that? He supposed he could stay for a while, but that didn’t really appeal to him as much as his own freedom did. Besides, he wasn’t tired enough to pass the time with sleeping.

“I GUESS I’LL JUST LEAVE, LEAVE.”

“Who’s there!?” Someone shouted, their voice deep and rough.

Jevil’s tail shot straight up in the air, his eyes widening. He had completely forgotten he likely wasn’t the only one currently behind these marvelous bars. Staying in solitary confinement sure did make you forget simple things like that.

Jevil turned around to face the stranger…

And came face to face with one of the four kings he served once upon a time.

The King of Spades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my birthday today (4th of July)! And I seem to be celebrating it by updating this story?
> 
> Oh well, at least it was very fun to write!


	4. The Abyss Gazes Back

“OH, YOUR MAJESTY! WHAT AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE!” Jevil laughed, floating towards the towering king who’d recently been dethroned.

Said king narrowed his spaded face, swatting at the jester like he was some annoying fly he couldn’t get rid of. Jevil only sidestepped the attempt with a grin that widened marginally.

“What is this? How dare you come here, _pest_?” The king snarled. “I thought I had locked you up where no one would find such a treacherous creature such as yourself.”

“UEE HEE HEE, BUT HOW THAT BACKFIRED, AM I RIGHT, RIGHT!?” Jevil leaned forward, his face mere inches from the former spade king’s own, which was only possible due to him floating high above the large Darkner. His yellow teeth glinted in the flickering lights above.

“YOUR ENTIRE RACE HAS SUFFERED IMPRISONMENT DUE TO YOUR RASH ACTIONS, MY KING!” Jevil mock-laughed with narrowed eyes. “YOU’D BEST THINK TWICE BEFORE IMPRISONING MY BODY, BODY, OR YOUR PEOPLE WILL SUFFER AGAIN!”

The spade king snarled, his fist once again aimed at the jester invading his personal space, his punch swinging with such force and vigor one would think he was competing for the grand price of who could hit the hardest. Still, the attack didn’t as much as grace Jevil, who only vanished, his after-image taking the hit with a smile that somehow widened even after he had teleported.

Jevil’s giggles resounded within the small prison.

“...And I see your madness still knows no bounds.” The king grumbled, turning his face away as if Jevil wasn’t worth looking at. “My KNIGHT’s blessed words have been all but wasted on SCUM such as you.”

Jevil paused in his laughter as his mind registered the name of _someone_ quite special.

“AH. THAT GUY.” He said, shrugging. “NO OFFENSE, MY KING, BUT YOU _DO_ KNOW YOU’RE A PAWN, PAWN, JUST LIKE THE REST OF US, RIGHT?!”

The king snarled. “I refuse to listen to your nonsensical babbles, fool! My KNIGHT will arrive soon, and with it, this world shall once again be ruled by DARKNESS!”

Jevil thought about this for but a fraction of a second before giving his final verdict.

“UEE HEE, IF YOU SAY SO!” He cheered.

Having had enough of his royal painfulness, Jevil waved his gloved hands as he said his goodbyes, getting ready to teleport away. Before he could, though, the spade king rose from the ground and held out a hand.

Jevil paused, blinking once.

“...Wait.” So said the king, still not meeting the jester’s eyes. “My son. Have you seen him around?”

Jevil shook his head, his ever present smile not changing at all.

“I AM AFRAID NOT, MY DELIGHTFULLY HORRID KING! YOUR LITTLE SON, SON, HAS NOT COME TO VISIT MY FREEDOM IN QUITE A LONG TIME, BOO HOO HOO!”

“...Hm. Alright, begone with you, fool.” The king grumbled, shooing him away with his outstretched hand. “I have no further business with the likes of you. If you had been anyone else, I might have manipulated you into freeing me from this prison, but you’re far too USELESS to even bother.”

Jevil merely laughed in retaliation. “AS ALWAYS, I HEED YOUR WORDS, YOUR HIGHNESS! EVEN IF THEY SHIMMER WITH NOTHING BUT TOXIC WRYNESS! HA HA HA!”

The king did not reply. Jevil floated over to the metal bars and wrapped his hands around them, briefly peeking out and imagining his own freedom back in the Dark World.

It wasn’t even remotely the same here.

He turned his head to glance back at the large Darkner.

“THINK ABOUT THAT, WILL YOU? WHAT YOU SAY, SAY, IS LEFT TO STAY! SOMEDAY, YOU MIGHT COME TO HURT SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT!” He said, and with that he was gone, off to explore places littered with new excitement.

* * *

Sans sighed as he walked out of the Police Station. Hunting down that crazy jester had been a bust, considering the skeleton had literally just missed the guy – if that huge Darkner locked away was, in fact, speaking the truth. The guy seemed sketchy as all hell.

“...why can’t things ever just be easy?” He lamented, absentmindedly tightening his grip on the leash in his left hand. His pet rock had been oddly quiet this whole time (even if, until only recently, that had been the norm). As Sans glanced down to further inspect this slight conundrum, all his sight was greeted with was an empty leash, his _dear_ _old_ rock nowhere to be found.

“huh...guess it must have slipped off at some point.” He shrugged, not really too worried about it. In the worst case scenario, Sans could always just find a new rock and pray his brother wouldn’t notice.

“...does that make me a bad pet owner? stone owner? _stoner_? he he he.”

“UEE HEE HEE! THAT ONE WAS QUITE GOOD!!”

Sans startled, but he kept his outward appearance calm, as if he had expected the jester to show up out of nowhere. The short skeleton would have to get used to this Darkner being able to teleport as well – but hey, give him a break. It wasn’t as if Sans had met anyone else who could do that.

Glancing up at the jester floating above him, Sans raised a brow bone.

“yeah?” He said, his smile widening a bit. “great to know you’ve got a _funny_ _bone_ in ya.” He winked. Then Sans darkened his eye sockets, his tone taking on a sharp edge. “but y’know, buddy, pal. people around here don’t, uh, appreciate it when someone hurts others. get it? that’s a crime around these parts." He paused briefly to shrug.

“so yeah, i would really appreciate it if you simply D o n ‘ t.”

The odd Darkner blinked down at Sans, as if the skeleton’s words were so foreign they became outright alien. He wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that, because who even _needed_ to process _common_ _logic_? The jester then lowered, his lime-green slippers touching the ground just before him. Sans briefly noticed that he was actually around the same height as the little dude, which meant the short skeleton had inadvertently called _himself_ tiny…

Oh man, even if he _was_ a bit pissed off at this jester (who he _still_ didn’t know the name of), Sans felt a certain kinship towards him.

The Darkner then laughed, as if that was the only response he could come up with against Sans’ veiled threat.

“YOU MUST BE QUITE THE COMEDIAN!” He said, and before Sans knew it, the jester held up a huge scythe as if ready to strike. Sans’ hands clenched around the fabric of his hoodie’s pockets, his slippers moving just a tiny bit in preparation of taking a shortcut...should it be needed.

“ARE YOU SURE YOU WON’T PLAY WITH ME, ME? MY OFFER STILL STANDS, HA HA!”

Sans shook his head. “yeah no. my decision remains the same, _pal_.”

“BOO HOO, WHAT A SHAME!!” The jester mock-cried as he flung the scythe behind him, the attack thankfully dissolving before it could hit another building.

Sans let out an internal sigh of relief. He didn’t really want to dunk on this guy. Not yet, at least. The skeleton liked to give people the benefit of the doubt, even if this Darkner’s EXP and LV indicated he’d actually taken someone’s life before.

...Sans still hadn’t told anyone about this little secret of his. Being able to see SOULS outside of battles weren’t exactly something to advertise. A deep, rooted part of himself felt his fingers itch with the desire to Judge this jester whenever he looked at those stats, but Sans curbed those feelings as soon as they emerged. Like always.

He didn’t even know why he felt such things in the first place. Aside from those strange dreams and nightmares he sometimes had, Sans the Skeleton wasn’t really one to Judge, was he?

‘ _..._ _hell if i know.’_ He thought.

Needless to say, Sans’ life had taken a strange turn when he and his bro moved to this rural town.

“heh. Such a shame.” He droned out, taking a moment to check his inventory for anything useful. Now that he had found his intended target, Sans had to bring him back to Papyrus – who had probably finished cooking his spaghetti by now.

The only question was; how do you lure a possibly insane jester-clown guy to follow you home?

“...is this really my life now?” Sans muttered under his breath.

He found what he was looking for. Time to put yet another impromptu plan into action.

“hey bud.” Sans began, relaxing his body and giving the jester a lazy grin. “remember how my bro – papyrus – wanted to cook you spaghetti? well, i’m sure he’s done by now, so why don’t we head on back to get some grub? you must be pretty hungry after everything, right?”

The Darkner’s eyes widened. “OH! RIGHT! THAT TALL SKELETON PROMISED ME I’D GET TO TASTE HIS WORLD-RENOWNED SPAGHETTI!”

Sans nodded. “yeah, so why not--”

“BUT TOO BAD, BAD. I HAVEN’T COME THIS FAR JUST TO QUIT MY EXPLORATION NOW!” He said, his arms spreading out like he was showcasing the whole world. “SEE YA, BONE-BOY, I’LL DROP BY LATER TO EAT YOUR BROTHER’S SPAGHETTI, NU-HA!”

Sans was panicking. “uhh, so you don’t wanna taste my hot dog…?” He said lamely to the retreating back of the jester, internally slapping himself for letting his mouth run wild without his consent. Why would this guy want his _hot_ _dog_ if he didn’t want pap’s spaghetti?

Much to his surprise, however, the jester actually stopped mid-flight. He hovered just above the skeleton, looking quite contemplative.

“...A HOT DOG? WHY?” He questioned.

Sans shuffled his feet on the snow-covered ground. “...because it’s an ultra-super rare edition?”

There was a brief pause. Then;

“UEE HEE HEE, NOW WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO, YOU SILLY, SILLY LITTLE SKELETON! HAND ME THAT ‘DOG, AND I’LL ESCORT US BACK RIGHT AWAY!”

Sans was staring. “...wait, really?”

That had worked. That had actually worked. Huh. Guess he just answered his own question from before. You only needed a hot dog to lure a potentially crazy jester-clown back to your house...

“ok.” Sans said, retrieving a hot dog from his inventory. “here ya go. on the house.”

As soon as it materialized, the small Darkner snatched it out of his bony hands and gobbled it up like there was no tomorrow.

“...okay.”

As the strange Darkner finished, he gave Sans a quick pat on his skull, keeping his gloved hand there. Sans’ left eye socket twitched, his eye lights briefly vanishing.

“mind letting go, pal?” He ground out, feeling slightly irritated by the unwelcoming touch.

“HEE HEE, NO NEED TO GET YOUR PANTS IN A TWIST, SKELE-MAN! MY HAND IS ONLY THERE TO ESCORT YOU, YOU, LIKE I PROMISED!”

Sans’ eye sockets widened.

“wait--”

Too late. The two of them vanished, having been taken by the jester’s own teleportation magic.

* * *

The house of Sans and Papyrus was unusually quiet.

And then suddenly, that quiet was all but doused like water thrown at a raging flame.

“THERE YOU ARE, BROTHER!” Papyrus called from the kitchen, the sound of their return having reached his non-existent ears.

Sans caught himself before his balance was thrown off, feeling slightly disoriented from the trip. The skeleton was intimately familiar with teleportation magic, sure, but being brought along instead of steering it was a whole new experience.

Sans wasn’t quite sure whether he liked it.

“AND JUST IN TIME TOO! MY BEST SPAGHETTI YET HAS BEEN COOKED TO PERFECTION AND IS NOW READY TO BE SERVED!”

The tall skeleton exited the kitchen with a large pot of steaming spaghetti, and then blinked as he took in the sight of their new guest.

“AH, AND I SEE YOU HAVE RETRIEVED MY NEW FRIEND AS WELL! WOWIE, THAT’S...” He paused briefly. “THAT’S ACTUALLY QUITE IMPRESSIVE, SANS!”

Sans walked over to the couch and wasted no time in seating himself, practically melting into the old cushions. “eh, what can i say? i wasn’t _clowning_ around for once. heh.” He chuckled, glancing over at the jester.

Said jester was currently in the middle of staring at the empty spot where his pet rock used to be. Right, Sans had almost forgotten about that. And so, he couldn’t really do much else but blink a few times when the short Darkner pointed at the plate and willed his _still_ barking pet rock back to its rightful place.

Papyrus seemed delighted. “OH, YOUR PET ROCK IS BACK, SANS! I HOPE YOU TWO HAD A GREAT WALK!”

“uhhh, sure...”

Much to Sans’ relief, the jester then immediately went to silence it after he retrieved it from god knows where. Well, at least the skeleton didn’t have to go out and _fetch_ a new rock…

The jester then floated over to the couch, taking a seat besides Sans and immediately proceeding to bounce up and down in place. Sans closed his eyes and let himself relax. This was infinitely better than the little guy being out there and possibly _hurting_ people.

Sans had a feeling it wasn’t entirely his fault for acting the way he was, though.

Once the two of them were seated, Papyrus went to grab three plates and scooped a healthy portion on each of them. He then handed one to Sans and their guest before taking the last one for himself, and once the master chef was sitting as well, the three of them began to eat.

Papyrus’ spaghetti tasted pretty good, all things considered. Sans always felt a swell of pride rise within him whenever he thought about how far his bro had come since he first picked up that cooking book in their previous, shoddy little apartment. Heck, Sans even _helped_ him once or twice back then, much to the delight of Papyrus.

The pasta was a bit overcooked, but that could easily be ignored when the flavor of the sauce hit his taste buds...or lack thereof. Don’t ask him how he could eat. Sans wasn’t a biologist.

Still, for some reason, whenever he took his first bite out of his brother’s lovingly prepared meals, Sans always expected something else, like...an _indescribable_ taste.

But yeah, it was pretty good.

Sans glanced up from his plate to look at their current house guest, the jester having already finished his first portion of spaghetti. The short skeleton’s eye lights turned away.

Was that guy a black hole or something?

Shaking his head, Sans turned his attention back to Papyrus.

“hey, this spaghetti’s SUPER SMASHING, BRO.” He winked.

Papyrus paused in the middle of refilling the jester’s plate, his head whipping over to stare at the small skeleton. Jevil stayed quiet, because for some reason food seemed to make him slightly less chaotic.

“...SANS, I CAN’T HELP BUT GET THE FEELING YOU JUST MADE A PUN.” His bro said, narrowing his eye sockets. “BUT I CAN’T FOR THE LIFE OF ME PLACE MY HAND ON IT...AND THEN PLACE MY OTHER HAND ON IT...AND THEN PET IT AFFECTIONATELY.”

“he he he, don’t worry ‘bout it, paps.” Sans chuckled. “i’m sure someone out there gets it.” He winked again.

“HMM...SUSPICIOUS.”

Jevil suddenly burst out laughing and accidentally knocked his plate out of his hands, spilling spaghetti all over the carpet.

“HEE HEE HEE, GOOD ONE, GOOD ONE!!” The jester cackled, not bothered by the mess he made whatsoever.

Papyrus gasped.

“oh bother...” Sans sighed despite his growing smile. That guy actually understood his pun? It made him wonder just how much more there was to this stranger.

“SMALL FRIEND, BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU WAVE YOUR HANDS AROUND! YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THERE MIGHT BE A PLATE OF SPAGHETTI IN THEM!!”

Oh god, that was just precious. Sans gave his brother a fond smile as the taller one began cleaning up the mess. Sans would have joined him, but...eh, this chair was far too comfortable for its own good.

“UEE HEE HEE, MY HEART IS JOYING FROM YOUR WONDERFUL COMPANY! I THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD, IT REALLY, REALLY SETS THE MOOD!” Jevil snickered as he got up, turned towards the front door and then began to leave.

Papyrus stopped cleaning the mess to look up at the retreating back of the jester, his sunny smile turning into a slight pout. “YOU’RE LEAVING ALREADY?? BUT I HAVEN’T EVEN GOTTEN TO SHOW YOU ALL OF MY GREAT PUZZLES YET, AND THERE’S STILL MORE SPAGHETTI! AND--”

Papyrus suddenly stopped, and then frowned, looking contemplative.

“OH.” He said. “MY BROTHER AND I HAVE COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN TO ASK YOUR NAME! HOW SILLY OF US!” He ‘Nyeh’ed, getting back up and walking over to the small Darkner. “SO WITH THAT IN MIND” He said, clearing his throat. “AHEM! SMALL AND NEW FRIEND, I, PAPYRUS, WILL ASK FOR YOUR NAME!!”

Sans watched on in amusement as the more or less deranged smile on the jester’s face turned slightly more genuine, as if his bro’s warmth was enough to soothe some of the dude’s loose screws. The short skeleton supposed this wasn’t all that bad, so long as Papyrus was happy. He honestly didn’t care whether or not their guest decided to stay, Sans just wanted to, well...sleep now.

It had been a long day, after all.

“OH! OH! WHEN MY NAME IS ASKED, SO TOO SHALL I GIVE IT! THE NAME’S JEVIL, JEVIL!”

Papyrus beamed. “WELL THEN, IT IS VERY NICE TO MEET YOU, JEVIL JEVIL! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND THIS IS MY LAZYBONES OF A BROTHER, SANS!”

Sans almost wheezed when Papyrus mistook Jevil’s name due to his odd speaking mannerism. He supposed the jester would have to get used to being called Jevil Jevil by his brother now, but from the lack of any negative reactions, Sans summarized the small guy was fine with it.

“HA HA!”

...More than fine, in fact.

Jevil’s tail swished back and forth like a cat’s, wringing his gloved hands together as he looked up at Papyrus.

“SO, YOU WANT ME TO STAY, BONE-MAN? WELL, WHO AM I TO SAY, SAY….NO?”

His brother frowned. “NO???”

“YES!!” Jevil nodded.

Now it was Papyrus’ turn to wring his gloves. “SO YOU’RE SAY NO TO STAYING, AND YES TO YOUR NO?”

“NO!” The jester cackled in mirth.

Papyrus looked in Sans’ direction, as if asking for help. Sans merely shrugged, his grin widening. The tall skeleton huffed as he became determined to solve this sudden conundrum.

“...THEN! YOU’RE SAYING NO TO NOT SAYING YES, MEANING YOU’LL NOT SAY NO TO STAYING?”

“YES!” Jevil agreed.

“GREAT, THEN IT’S SETTLED! YOU’RE STAYING OVER FOR THE NIGHT! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!”

Jevil bounced back and forth, clapping his hands together. “CHAOS, CHAOS!” He yelled.

Sans blinked, scratching his skull. How the…

He shook his head. It didn’t matter.

“...welp, guess that’s settled. it’s about time i read you your bedtime story anyway, right bro?” Sans eventually said, reluctantly getting up from the couch.

Papyrus nodded as he went back to finish cleaning the mess. In the meantime, Sans turned to look back at Jevil, the jester having another staring contest with his pet rock. This guy…

Trudging over to the Darkner, Sans spoke up to get his attention.

“heya, bud. you can crash on the couch. sounds good?” He asked.

Jevil nodded absentmindedly. “SURE, SURE.”

After everything had been cleaned off, Sans and Papyrus went to enter pap’s room. The short skeleton briefly looked down from the banister, staring at the jester as he got comfortable on the shoddy old couch.

“SANS! WHAT’S TAKING YOU SO LONG??” Papyrus eventually called from within his room, snapping Sans out of it.

“coming bro...”

The skeleton spared Jevil one last glance, and then entered Papyrus’ bedroom to get ready for another round of ‘Peek-a-Boo with Fluffy Bunny’.

Sans would just have to trust their guest not to burn down the house while they slept...or something along those lines. And, if he was gone by tomorrow, well.

No _skin_ off his bones, right?

Sans chuckled and closed the door.

* * *

Sleep didn’t come to Jevil as easily as it had before, much to his growing frustration. He turned this way and that on the old couch, letting out a quiet little sigh. He eventually settled for curling into a ball, his knees touching his chin. He stayed in that position for what felt like hours, his thoughts running a mile per hour.

So much had happened in less than a day, and Jevil didn’t know how to process it all. Everything was still a game, after all, so how could he take this new place seriously like that short skeleton wanted him to? He really was quite boring, refusing to even consider playing with Jevil...

After a while, when sleep finally decided to grant him some rest, the jester’s dreams were... _less_ than pleasant.

Jevil found himself standing in a complete void of darkness, and no matter where he turned or where he looked, the shadows kept growing, everything dark, darker, yet darker. Jevil shivered, his tail going limp behind him as his smile fell.

Then he smiled again, his yellow pupils completely gone.

He knew this place. He knew it all too well.

Jevil panicked as reality once again came crashing down on his small shoulders, his gaze frantically searching for the one who granted him his freedom. The jester couldn’t even tell if his head actually moved, or if he was standing or floating. It was all so very disorienting, even more so than his spinning carousel.

The jester didn’t find Him, but He found the jester.

“ **Jevil.** ” The voice said, clipped and monotonous. “ **It has been quite a while.** ”

The shadows were growing, and Jevil turned just in time to watch them form the being he both revered and feared.

Jevil’s smile grew, his hands reflexively reaching out for the being now towering over him. Black goop was dripping down from Him, pelting Jevil with the gooey substance. He hardly noticed.

“GASTER...” Jevil breathed, his arms shaking.

“ **Indeed.** ” The man nodded, his eerie grin and malformed sockets peering down at him, as if he were a mere bug to be squashed underneath his feet.

“ **You have done quite well so far, surprisingly enough.** ” Gaster continued, and Jevil stilled. “ **I did not expect you to initiate contact with my...** ” He paused briefly, his body momentarily glitching. “ **I did not expect you associate yourself with those skeletons, and so soon, too. I must confess, while it was one of the possible roads you could take – and a favorable one at that – the chances of you actually leaving your prison was...quite slim.** ”

Gaster leaned down, his face now mere inches from Jevil. “ **Even so, my plan seems to be working its wonders. The KNIGHT has proven to be a valuable asset, like you, my little jester.** ” His smile grew. “ **...Even if my gift to you...backfired slightly. It was but one of countless possibilities.** ”

Jevil smiled back. “...HEE HEE HEE, ANYTHING FOR YOU, GASTER! YOU, YOU WHO FREED ME FROM THE LIMITED REALM AND MINDSET OF THIS...THIS WORLD!”

Gaster’s smile suddenly turned...solemn? Jevil didn’t understand.

“ **...I am sorry.** ” He glitched again. “ **...I am sorry.** ”

Jevil blinked, feeling beyond confused...but then something seemed to _snap_ within him.

“WHY...WHY, OH WHY ARE YOU APOLOGIZING?! YOU, YOU HELPED ME! YOU...HELPED ME, RIGHT?!”

The gooey man merely sighed, which in turn caused more goop to splash down and rejoin the darkness.

“ **Jevil. I...Can’t maintain this form for much longer, so listen well...** ” He said. “ **Gather my pieces scattered around this universe, and speak to Sans. He will know what to do if you mention me, although...He might not take to it well...But he will come around, of that I am sure.** ”

Gaster leaned back again, granting Jevil some space. The small jester hadn’t even noticed he had stopped breathing until his lungs suddenly _burned_.

“ **I also advice you to meet up with the three Heroes you... _played_ with earlier.**” The glitching happened again, his whole body now rippling with coded numbers.

‘ _01010101010101010101110101011110000110101011--’_

Jevil looked away.

“ **... _played_ with earlier.**” Gaster repeated, and much to Jevil’s complete horror he suddenly started _melting,_ his white skull now dripping down to merge with the darkness all around.

“ **...And… Heed my war...ning, Jevil.** ”

There was almost nothing left of Gaster now, and the jester suddenly found himself knees deep in the remains of his savior. Jevil started laughing uncontrollably.

“ **The ANGEL...Is …watch...ing.** ”

As everything suddenly returned to nothing, Jevil saw, rather than heard, one last sentence within his mind’s eye.

**'WHEN YOU GAZE INTO THE ABYSS, THE ABYSS GAZES BACK.'**

Abruptly, everything went dark, and Jevil felt himself being swallowed up by the cutting shadows, the liquid of Gaster pulling him down and under.

…

Then he woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so...can I just take a moment to thank you all? I mean, wow, that's a lot of kudos and bookmarks! I really didn't expect that??? Still, thank you so much, I truly appreciate it! It definitely helps me keep writing this story, and your comments motivate me as well!
> 
> Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts! Don't worry, I won't bite!
> 
> Also: SANS IN SMASH!!!
> 
> ...If this chapter seems a bit Sans-centered, then just view it as a sort of tribute to him getting into Smash. The hype is real, I tell you.


	5. A Surprise Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and welcome back to **Your World's a Fantasy**! Just as a quick note, there will be references to the first part of this series, To Jest, in this chapter. While it is not necessary to read that story first to enjoy this one, I highly recommend you do it to fully understand Jevil and Lancer's relationship in this story. If not, then just know that the two of them are great friends.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

The previous night’s horror was quickly pushed away in favor of exploring yet more of this bright new world – but he hadn’t forgotten, Jevil _never_ quite managed to forget his meetings with Gaster.

So with that in mind, the jester bounced up and down on the saggy old couch a few times before landing perfectly on the tacky carpet. Jevil didn’t exactly have a clock to look at, but based on the night still having its firm grip on the surroundings signified that he hadn’t slept more than an hour or two at most. Jevil giggled – who needed sleep anyway, when you could wreak all sorts of _chaos_ on unsuspecting participants?

Jevil rushed past the table with that peculiar pet rock resting on it and slammed the door open with a loud bang, only to close it as silently and gently as he was capable of – it wouldn’t do to wake the house’s residents up, now would it?

“UEE HEE HEE, HOW GREAT I HANDLED THAT!” He praised himself.

The outside night air was chillingly cold, and slow, soft white particles drifted from the starry night sky in a lazy fashion. Jevil looked up, his eyes widening at the breathtaking sight of the millions of lights dotting the black expanse, so alike and yet infinitely unlike the Dark world. The fresh air left his mouth as fog for each breath he took, and he brought his gloved hands up to catch a few of the falling white dots.

At first glance, the melting stuff appeared bland, something meant only to blend in with the rest of the white blankets covering the ground and everything around it. At a closer glance, however, the white particles seemed to have an elaborate and intricate pattern, something that amazed the jester.

“HOW CAN SOMETHING, SOMETHING SO SMALL...BE SO BEAUTIFUL?” He asked, fully expecting the now melted stuff to answer him.

It didn’t, and Jevil moved on.

He floated around the town, taking in all of the various buildings while he occasionally conjured up a few hearts and spades to juggle with. Everything was so quiet, no matter where he went. He shivered, although whether that was due to the cold or the utter silence, the jester wasn’t sure.

“I WONDER, OH DO I WONDER...” Jevil began as he passed a few more buildings. “HOW MY DEAR LITTLE SPADED FRIEND IS DOING. HE TOLD ME TO WAIT FOR HIM, BUT SEE HOW I LEFT INSTEAD, TO MEET AND PLAY AND WIN! HEE HEE HEE, I HOPE HE’LL BE READY FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF CHAOS, CHAOS!”

Jevil laughed to himself, his eyes closing in pure mirth as he visualized the many games he and Lancer would be playing in the near future. Unfortunately, due to cutting off his vision, he ran straight into a solid figure and sent both him and whatever he had collided with tumbling to the snow-covered ground. Jevil shouted in surprise before turning said surprise into confused chuckles, his eyes blinking open to gaze at whatever he had hit.

“Ouch!” A young voice grumbled. “Hey, watch where you’re going! The great LANCER was in the middle of running away--”

The boy stopped his brief monologue. Jevil likewise stopped chuckling. They both stared at each other – one a jester, the other a spaded kid.

Then Lancer began shouting again. “Je-JEVIL?!”

Jevil gave a huge smile, his heart fluttering at the sight of his dear friend. “YES, YES, MY KING. I AM INDEED JEVIL, AT YOUR SERVICE!” He said, jumping up just so he could bow to his monarch. “FANCY MEETING YOU HERE, HAHA!”

Lancer stared at him for a few moments longer, his mouth slightly agape, before he, too, jumped to his feet, his mouth forming a large, innocent smile. The small spade kid was practically vibrating with sudden happiness.

“Jevil! I can’t believe you—actually, no, what am I saying?!” He shouted. “Of course I can believe you’re here, I planned it all, you know!?”

Jevil floated over to the small king and patted his head affectionately. “YOU DID, DID YOU?”

Lancer beamed. “Yes! What, did you expect anything else from me, LANCER?!” He boasted, but then lowered his voice. “...but seriously, how did you get here? I didn’t even get to try out my most brilliant plan to make you leave your boring prison! Now I’ll have to scrap it! Do you feel sorry for me yet?!”

“HEE HEE, I APOLOGIZE, MY SWEET LITTLE FRIEND! I WAS SIMPLY TOO EAGER, OH SO EAGER, TO SEE YOU AGAIN, SO I LEFT MY FREEDOM IN SEARCH OF CHAOS, CHAOS!”

Lancer stuck out his tongue and absorbed the praise he was being given. “I see! Just like I see you’re still the same insane clown I left when I had to save the world and whatever!!”

“SUCH FUN YOU SPEAK, MY KING, FOR I SHALL ALWAYS BE...ME!” Jevil said. Then his grin fell slightly when his mind finally caught up with the situation. “BUT AS YOUR LOYAL SUBJECT, DEAR LANCER, I MUST, MUST ASK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE, OH SO LONELY, LONELY YOU BE?”

Lancer immediately turned his head away, as if he had been struck. Silence fell between them, and Jevil retracted the hand that had been patting his friend’s hooded head.

“I...” Lancer began, looking nervously around, as if afraid someone might be listening to their conversation. “I’m not really allowed to tell you this, but rules are for losers anyway! I make my own rules now, like Lesser Dad!” He beamed. “Anyway, I was running away from some sketchy dude I’ve been following around all week. He’s a real _sketchy_ kind of guy, you see, so naturally I had to investigate, as your beloved King!”

Jevil hummed, his tail swishing behind him in piqued interest. “HMM, DESCRIBE THIS CHARACTER OF SKETCHINESS!”

Lancer huffed. “Well, you see, this town’s pretty boring! Nothing ever happens, and I’ve gotten so used to this place I don’t even get lost anymore – and the other residents always take down my masterfully crafted signs, they just don’t get their usefulness!” He complained, stomping his left foot on the ground in frustration. “But anyway, this sketchy guy appeared a little over a week ago. He’s a Darkner, like us, so I thought it was pretty weird I didn’t recognize him as one of my subjects, but! But then I realized I had seen him before when I found him observing one of my signs asking for directions to the School! It turns out I saw him a few times during me and the Lightners’ epic tale of, uh, epicness! I didn’t think he was anyone special back then. He just kind of...hung around in the background a few places, which is still pretty _weird_ now that I think about it.”

“I SEE, I SEE!” Jevil said, smiling. “BUT THEN WHY, WHY DID YOU RUN FROM HIM JUST NOW? HOW DOES IT ALL CONNECT, THIS INTRICATE TALE I NOW REFLECT?”

“Oh right, the most important part!” Lancer laughed. “Ho ho ho, well it turns out he’s after my handsome self, so he tried to kidnap me!”

There was a brief pause. Jevil’s eyes had widened marginally, his glowing pupils turning into small dots of light. Finally, the jester managed to convey his emotions with as much elaboration as possible.

“...WHAT?”

Lancer nodded. “Yeah, right!? He _sucks_ at being a bad guy, not even able to kidnap a child! He should take notes from me or Susie! I told my dad about this dude earlier on today, and he told me not to tell anyone, but I know you won’t tell on me as my second best and clowny friend!”

“UEE HEE HEE, BUT OF COURSE, MY BOY! THESE LIPS OF MINE ARE SEALED! BUT, BUT TELL ME, DEAR LANCER. THIS DARKNER, HOW DOES HE LOOK? I MIGHT, MIGHT JUST PLAY A NUMBERS GAME WITH HIM!”

“That again!? I know what that game of yours is now, Jevil – you can’t fool me, LANCER! He might not be a very cool guy, but I don’t want you to get imprisoned again for being too much of a bad guy! I just got you released – indirectly, but still!” Lancer grumbled, narrowing his spaded face.

Jevil held up his gloved hands while cackling. “BOO HOO HOO, DON’T WORRY, LANCER, WE’RE JUST GOING TO HAVE SUCH FUN, FUN, LIKE OUR OWN GAMES!”

Lancer thought for a bit, but then shrugged. “Okay, I trust you!” He said, giving his jester friend a large, toothy smile. “He’s a tall Darkner covered from head to toe in silvery armor, and he’s also got a long cape draped from his shoulder-pads, an intimidating helmet and a huge sword! He looks very out of place, if not slightly cool...even though his coolness has been degraded now that he’s after me. Also, the only reason I know he’s a Darkner is because I caught a glimpse of him using magic – I followed him everywhere, you know!”

Jevil had been nodding the entire time while Lancer was speaking, filing down the appearance of this child-napper. He felt slightly bad for lying to his dear friend and king earlier, but Jevil would by no means let such a man go without a healthy dose of fun and chaos. Life was game, after all, and that guy should know it too. Plus, Jevil did not like the fact that he had tried to abduct his sweet little monarch. It also seemed this sketchy character might hold a connection to Gaster and the Knight…

In any case, Jevil was going to investigate. First though, he would see his little friend home, safe and sound from any weirdos. It was the least he could do, seeing as the night was still young.

“THANK YOU, LANCER! THAT DESCRIPTION WAS GREAT, GREAT! I’LL MAKE SURE TO HAVE FUN WITH HIM, HA HA!”

Lancer stuck out his tongue. “Sure, but what about _our_ fun!? We haven’t played together for what feels like _years_!”

Jevil chuckled. “LATER, LATER! YOUR BED SINGS FOR YOUR ARRIVAL NOW, MY BOY, FOR IT IS WELL PAST YOUR BEDTIME!”

“Ugh, bedtime! I’m a big boy now, and a king! Do I really need a bedtime!?”

“YES, YES! OR ELSE YOU’LL STAY SMALL FOREVER, SWEET, SWEET LANCER.” Jevil replied as a matter of fact. “I’LL BE YOUR ESCORT HOME, SO LEAD THE WAY!”

Lancer sighed, but then immediately cheered back up a second later. “Okay! Jevil joins the party!!!”

Cue party joining music here.

And so the two of them ventured on, one smiling and the other laughing. And even though Lancer wasn’t too fond of the idea of having a bedtime, he eventually mellowed out and began talking Jevil’s ears off, telling him of all his amazing adventures with Susie, Ralsei and Kris.

“-And then the Blue Lightner sealed the Fountains and banished this so-called Angel – who had somehow been controlling them all this time! It was super creepy! And weird! I just hope this Angel thingy won’t come back, because the Lightner whose name I still haven’t bothered asking told us it made them do horrible things in the past...which I don’t really get because they acted so nice to everyone and everything they met. They even donated fifty Dark Dollars to that Puzzle Guy! Who even does that!?”

“SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALL HAD SUCH A FUN, FUN TIME.” Jevil said.

“Yes, and – Oh, we’re here.”

Lancer stopped walking in favor of pointing at the recently built castle (which was large, yet not as large as the one he owned in the Dark World). It was situated right in the center of the newly expanded part of Hometown, where those yellow trees had previously taken up space. Due to the many other houses and buildings already crowded together, it was a tight fit, but it still managed to work somehow. It essentially looked like a mini version of the one back in the Dark world, with the same color scheme and design. Jevil briefly wondered if the place had a dungeon too. Maybe even a version of his own Freedom?

Jevil shook his head.

Lancer jumped up and down a few times before racing over to the front gates, pointing excitedly at his new castle with barely contained glee and pride.

“Welcome to my castle, Jevil!

The jester regarded him fondly. He floated over to the boy, patting him on his head as the child kept bragging about having been a part of the construction, and of how he and his Lesser Dad were conducting all of their official business in his private chambers.

“I TRUST, TRUST YOU TO FIND YOUR WAY INSIDE?” Jevil eventually asked, absentmindedly conjuring up a lollipop to the great glee of his young charge.

“Awesome, thank you my sweet and clowny friend!” Lancer cheered as he accepted the candy. He bit into it, breaking it in half and chewing loudly on the crunchy parts. “And I already told you! I don’t get lost around here anymore...I think. I’ll be alright! At least that creepy dude didn’t follow us!”

Jevil briefly glanced over his shoulder. “NO, NO. HE MOST CERTAINLY DIDN’T.” He stated calmly.

Lancer then pointed at the floating jester. “But promise me we’ll play together tomorrow, okay!? You better come up with brilliant new games while I dream up schemes to impress Susie with! Ho ho ho, I can’t wait!”

It seemed the small spade kid had already decided they were going to play tomorrow. That was fine, Jevil didn’t mind at all. He was always up for a game in a world that was nothing but one itself.

“OF COURSE, MY KING! YOUR WISH, WISH IS MY COMMAND!” He bowed, his grin almost splitting his face in half.

“Great, you’re making my feelings do wheelies! The sweetest of wheelies! I’ll meet you here tomorrow around twelve PM, alright buckaroo!?”

“YES, YES.” Jevil nodded and clapped his hands as he lowered himself to the ground. Once he stood before the small king, the jester had planned to give him one more pat on the head before leaving, but Lancer beat him to it by swiftly hugging Jevil.

Caught off guard, the jester froze for a few seconds. His hands hovered awkwardly in the air near Lancer’s back, but not touching him. He still wasn’t used to any sort of physical contact, much less hugs. It was a strange, almost alien feeling, but not overall unpleasant. Slowly, Jevil found himself returning the very awkward hug (not that Lancer noticed it was awkward or anything). With stiff motions, he patted the boy’s back.

Lancer then let go and opened the huge, looming front door. He waved.

“You better be there tomorrow, or I’ll have to crash into you with my bike of Fueled Victory II!!!” Thus was his parting words.

Jevil found himself waving back, and continued to do so even when the door was closed. He lowered his arm and turned around. He narrowed his eyes at the darkness before him, his eyes zeroing in on his intended target.

Without catching any sort of attention, the jester floated away, his glowing pupils turning this way and that as he left the place to find a more barren location for the _chaos_ he would soon unleash. He was sure this kidnapper would follow him, because he had done so the entire time he and Lancer had been together. Jevil knew that it didn’t really matter what he did at this point, but it was hard not to care about this sort of thing, especially when it came to his sweet little king. It was a strange feeling, a slight clarity of mind, if you would.

When he reached the outskirts of Hometown, Jevil turned around and spread his hands out like he was in front of a huge crowd, ready to perform his most brilliant act to date.

“BOO HOO HOO, UEE HEE HEE! WHAT HAVE WE HERE, A VISITOR, VISITOR? COME ALONG NOW, LEST I LONELY BE, OH SO LONELY I BE!” He cheered loudly, his mind already in a state of pure bliss as he thought of all the fun he would have with this man. “WHY NOT PLAY A SIMPLE NUMBERS GAME WITH ME?”

Behind the large trees just ahead of him, a shadow emerged. Tall and imposing, the silvery armor of the towering man shone like newly polished metal in the moonlight. His cape billowed in the cold winter breeze, and the heavy thuds of his footsteps resonated with each step he took. Jevil briefly wondered how he had managed to stay as silent as he had before, but, well. It must have been due to the man’s magic, or simply a healthy dose of _chaos_.

Jevil lowered himself to the ground and gazed up at the being, his smile wide and leering. His feet were practically begging for him to dance on the spot, to start the fun, the games, the _chaos_ , and Jevil could feel his magic thrum and tingle just beneath his skin, begging to be released.

“THERE YOU ARE, CHILD-NAPPER. WHAT DO YOU SAY, SAY, WILL YOU PLAY? I PROMISE YOU’LL WANT TO STAY!” Jevil cheered.

The armored person brought forth his sheathed sword and brandished it with a swift motion. He stood his ground, taking a fighting stance.

“You stand in my way, so I must get rid of you.” He said, his voice low and monotonous. “Very well, Jester, I accept your battle invitation, and I expect you to hold nothing back.”

Jevil was ecstatic. “UEE HEE HEE, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!”

As the battle interface was initiated, the two of them took their rightful positions – Jevil floating up and down while the man readied his sword with his cape billowing behind him. And as per usual, Jevil let his opponent make the first move in this fun venture.

“I have been monitoring the Young King’s actions for a while.” The man began. “He seems to hold his position with surprisingly good results, unlike that of his father.”

Then he attacked, his sword slicing down in an arch of light which hit the jester with surprising speed. Jevil gave a startled laugh as his head popped off and dangled back and forth on a spring coil, before he eventually returned it to its rightful place. He panted with excitement, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

The armored man, for his part, kept up his stoic appearance, although from the way he shifted slightly, Jevil could tell he was unnerving him. Which was all the better.

“SUCH FUN, FUN! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!” He yelled before unleashing his volleys of five spade bullets, teleporting to random locations while his attacks pelted his opponent.

The man flung a few of the bullets away with his sword, but he still took a few hits from Jevil’s assaults, causing the jester to giggle like a madman.

“I need that spade child, you see.” His opponent continued, brushing off some dust from his armor. “He is essential for the mission I have been sent on.”

His next attack was a magic based one, once again aided by his sword. He unleashed a flurry of sword beams, and some of them changed their direction midair, making Jevil teleport several times to avoid the attacks. For the rest of the beams, however, he simply avoided them by dancing.

“EVEN DEVILSKNIFE IS LAUGHING, UEE HEE HEE!”

Jevil summoned a huge scythe and blinked out of existence, only to reappear just behind the would-be kidnapper. He swung with all his might, connecting with his playmate’s sturdy armor and dealing a huge amount of damage. The resulting force threw the man off guard and sent him skidding several feet away, but he managed to intercept the second swipe with his sword, metal clashing against metal.

Sparks flew through the air, and Jevil laughed, his eyes narrowed in mirth. The armored man was panting heavily as he threw the small Darkner off of him with his weapon. As a counterattack, he brought up his left hand and conjured several white light balls that was sent spiraling towards the jester like acid rain.

Some of them hit him. Some of them didn’t. Jevil was having fun either way, and it was all too exciting!

“The Angel has yet to lose their hold on this world, so I must gain the attention of their Vessel!” The man spat, his calm exterior having been thrown away like trash during this heated battle. “Must you really stand in my way? Surely you know the importance of my mission!”

“NU-HA! YOU WORRY TOO MUCH! JUST HAVE FUN AND PLAY, PLAY WITH ME!” Jevil answered, though somewhere deep within his mind he registered the words being spoken to him. He would worry about it later though.

“CHAOS, CHAOS! SHALL WE PLAY THE RING-AROUND?”

Jevil summoned ten large spade bullets in a circle and quickly made them bounce, one after another, in a spiral pattern towards the armored man. Because he was so unfamiliar with Jevil’s attack patterns, his opponent did his best to avoid the deadly onslaught, but ultimately failed. As a result, yet more of his HP got reduced by the attack. Jevil bounced back and forth on his spot, his speed rapidly increasing and leaving after-images behind.

It wouldn’t take much longer for the man’s numbers to reach zero.

“Enough of this foolishness!” The man shouted, taking a new fighting stance, his cyan eyes glinting beneath his helmet. His sword was raised above his head, and soon the entire weapon was engulfed in a white light that sparked with electricity. Then he rushed forward while he unleashed several bolts of that energy covering his sword, some of them zapping Jevil and making him laugh like he had never laughed before.

The jester teleported away before the sword could cleave him in half, and then he reattached his bouncing head to his body once more.

“IT’S TOO EXCITING! I CAN’T TAKE IT!” Jevil shivered, his toothy grin huge.

From there on, they both went all out. Jevil managed to reduce quite a lot of the man’s health points, and he himself received a few hits (but nothing his large amount of HP couldn’t take).

Dodge. Swipe. Attack. Miss.

“You shall not stand in the way of my Knight!” The man sneered, flinging several more light balls at Jevil, who dodged.

“I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR KNIGHT, KNIGHT. MY SWEET KING WON’T BE TAKEN BY THE LIKES OF YOU!”

Jevil unleashed several unrelenting diamond bullets that pelted his playmate from the ground. The man himself managed to slice Jevil in return.

“You don’t understand! My Knight needs the Vessel, it is the only way to stop the Angel’s game!”

“BOO HOO HOO, UEE HEE HEE! BUT IF YOU DO THAT, WHO WILL PLAY WITH ME IN MY FREEDOM? I KNOW THE LIGHTNERS WILL COME BACK AGAIN, WITH OR WITHOUT THIS ANGEL!”

Jevil summoned four Devilsknife and transformed into a larger one himself, and he sliced at the man while the four smaller ones circled back and forth in patterns that were hard to avoid. More HP got drained. The man himself still fought valiantly, attacking with his own flurry of sword patterns and magic. One particular strong strike hit him.

“AH!!” Jevil laughed. “MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU SINNER!”

His hearts attack was next. The man wasn’t faring too well anymore.

Attack. Dodge. Swipe.

“You are making a grave mistake!” The tall Darkner hollered.

“ENOUGH!! YOU TIRE ME OUT!” Jevil began, but then giggled. “JUST KIDDING, HERE’S MY FINAL CHAOS!”

And with a resounding _metamorphosis_ , Jevil unleashed his ultimate attack.

Needless to say, his opponent didn’t stand a chance.

Dust soon spread around the jester and the now empty, lifeless armor lying on the ground. The sword lay next to it, barren of its master. The snow that had been drifting down lazily now began to cover the remains of his playmate, and Jevil floated down and landed with a flourish. The snow was still a very beautiful sight to behold.

“UEE HEE HEE, LET’S PLAY, PLAY AGAIN SOMETIME!”

It was about time he headed back to those wacky skeletons, and maybe even take a quick nap after this whole ordeal. After all, tomorrow would be another busy day full of new experiences.

Jevil couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go! Thank you all so much for the kind reception this story has received! It truly warms my heart to see so many people like it! You are all great! Yes, YOU!
> 
> Also, I bet you thought that armored dude was the KNIGHT, right? Well, surprise! ...yeah, I totally pulled that out of nowhere.


	6. Scattered Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy belated Halloween! Here's an early chapter, because you are all so awesome!

The sun was slowly rising by the time Jevil reached Sans and Papyrus’ house, its vivid rays painting the sky several shades of oranges, reds and yellows. The interior of the relatively large house was dark and ever so quiet, which told the jester its residents were still fast asleep.

Jevil did not feel tired at all.

Plopping down on the saggy old couch in the living room, the jester waited for morning to arrive with barely contained impatience. He would have to speak to the small skeleton about his meeting with Gaster, something he honestly didn’t feel particularly thrilled about. He would much rather play games with his little king.

With absolutely nothing else to do, Jevil stared down at his rather dusty clothes. They didn’t hold his attention for long, however – he literally just dusted a person, but that didn’t matter to him. Playing a simple game spoke volumes of his innocence, an innocence most wouldn’t understand – people found his fun to be such a trouble, but in the end a pleaser couldn’t please everyone.

Instead, he found his attention drawn to the slim, rectangular box placed a little ways before him. He could see his own reflection staring back from its dark screen, and Jevil was fascinated. Floating slightly, the jester made his way over to it and pressed the first button he came across. The box then immediately flared to life with both color and sounds, and Jevil’s eyes widened at the chaos that ensued. Laughter soon bubbled forth, and the little Darkner clapped his hands before he pressed several other buttons – one of which muted the loud box.

“Uee hee hee!” He laughed, his voice slightly less boisterous due to the skeletons still sleeping. “What fun, fun!”

And so that was how Jevil spent two hours watching television, his attention completely absorbed by the moving pictures being shown – something about a young lady being held prisoner by a beast, only to eventually fall in love with said beast.

Jevil liked that one quite a bit.

When the movie ended and the credit rolls were the only things left for him to look at, he reluctantly focused on what that armored man had said during their Numbers Game. As far as Jevil could tell, the guy knew of this so-called Angel that Lancer had briefly mentioned earlier, as well the Knight. Jevil’s smile fell. He didn’t want to think about that guy.

Still, the nightmare he had predicted to draw upon the Lighters seemed to be fast approaching. They had yet to stop the shadow of the Knight’s hand, it would seem, and so there would indeed be a chaotic mischief about to break free.

Jevil’s smile returned.

“Dear Lightners, what shall it be? Will the air crackle with freedom, freedom, or will the Knight’s realm bring about such darkness?”

* * *

Papyrus woke up in the early morning hours, his mind fresh and bones well rested. It was yet another frosty day, and a quick glance outside the window showed the glittering white snow covered everything it possibly could, which indicated it had snowed the night before.

The tall skeleton was quick to do a few morning stretches before he took a hot shower and got dressed in something warm yet stylish. When that was done and over with, Papyrus hummed as he went about his usual morning routine, which consisted of making his bed, righting every object and books within his room so that they stood just the way he wanted them to, dusted off and vacuumed any dirt that might have sneaked in, did a few more stretches and then came up with brilliant new battle scenarios with the helpful aid of his figurines.

The time was now six AM.

Papyrus left his room to prepare some delicious breakfastghetti for his brother and their delightful little guest, whom he assumed was still fast asleep on their green couch in the living room. Once he had descended the stairs, however, Papyrus took notice of how his new friend, Jevil Jevil, was already wide awake and watching the television screen with rapt attention, like it was some sort of strange object from an alien planet.

Most might not have thought Papyrus was a very attentive monster, but he did, in fact, take notice of the dirty and ragged state of his friend’s attire. Papyrus made a face at the dust now covering their old couch. Had Jevil Jevil gone outside in the middle of the night?

“GOOD MORNING, JEVIL JEVIL! I HOPE YOU SLEPT WELL ON THAT COUCH, DESPITE ITS OLDNESS!” Papyrus said, breaking the calm morning silence.

The jester’s eyes immediately looked up at Papyrus, and they widening for the fraction of a second before he smiled widely, his gaze crinkling with mirth and mischief – and yet Papyrus could still detect something else too. His little friend _did_ look tired.

“YES, YES. YOUR SAGGY OLD COUCH WAS HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN GRANTING ME SLEEP.” So said the jester, his voice as loud as the skeleton’s own.

Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets. “HMM...DID YOU GO OUTSIDE TONIGHT?”

“YES, AND I HAD SUCH MARVELOUS FUN!” Jevil cheered.

“OH, WELL OKAY THEN!”

Papyrus left to enter the small kitchen area, pulling forth several pots and pans and ingredients from his part of the fridge (but not before sighing at the sight of that empty bag of chips). Then he began chopping up the vegetables like that cooking book Sans had given him stated he should, once again humming to himself.

“SLEEPING IS VERY GOOD, SMALL FRIEND!” Papyrus called from the kitchen. “JUST A SUGGESTION. WINK WINK.” He winked.

When he received no answer, the Great Papyrus dedicated his entire attention to the spaghetti he was preparing. He had by then finished chopping up the vegetables, and so he threw them into the pot. Then he prepared the sauce while turning the heat up for the water to boil. This cookbook was really doing wonders for his cooking, despite it somehow feeling slightly off. Papyrus didn’t know why, but he felt like he should use more force and action while cooking.

Soon enough, there wasn’t really much left for him to do, so while the spaghetti took care of itself, Papyrus turned his attention inwards. And the first thing he thought about was his new friend.

Truth be told, Papyrus had no idea what to think about their little house guest. While he was ecstatic to have a new friend in this large town where no one really wanted to be amazed by his greatness, the tall skeleton was worried about the little Darkner. As far as he knew, Jevil Jevil had nowhere to go and no real relation to anyone in this town. He briefly wondered where he had come from – the Dark World, of course, but why now and not when the rest of his people had emerged from the School’s closet? Papyrus was sure his friend was a very nice person, but he _had_ attacked an innocent passerby the first time they met, which was a huge _no_ in the tall skeleton’s book. Sans didn’t seem too thrilled to have him here either, but that might just be due to his brother’s usual wariness.

Really, though, what was the worst thing that could happen?

“PAPYRUS, DO YOU KNOW, KNOW WHEN YOUR BROTHER WILL LEAVE HIS LITTLE PRISON?” Jevil suddenly asked from the living room, making Papyrus snap out of his thoughts.

“PRISON?” The skeleton questioned. “OH, YOU MEAN HIS BEDROOM! WELL, THAT PLACE IS MORE LIKE ANOTHER DIMENSION RATHER THAN A PRISON, BUT STILL! I MUST CONFESS MY BROTHER SLEEPS UNTIL VERY LATE, SOMETIMES EVEN THE WHOLE DAY! THAT LAZYBONES, WHAT WOULD HE DO WITHOUT ME?”

Papyrus paused for a brief moment. “I DON’T KNOW WHEN HE’LL WAKE UP.”

“I SEE, I SEE.” The jester replied. “THEN TELL ME, TALL SKELETON, DO YOU KNOW OF A W. D. GASTER?”

Papyrus froze. Then he unfroze, and he couldn’t help but wonder why his body had such an involuntary reaction to whatever that question had been about. His skull felt light and his mind seemed to be swirling with jumbled up thoughts and emotions.

“I’M SORRY, MY SMALL FRIEND, BUT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DO NOT KNOW OF THIS...UM, WHAT WAS THAT NAME AGAIN?”

“NOTHING, NOTHING.” the small Darkner said.

“OH, THEN THAT SETTLES IT! I DON’T KNOW OF THIS NOTHING PERSON!”

Papyrus wanted to ask more about the name the jester had uttered, but for some reason his mouth couldn’t form a single coherent sentence whenever he thought about it. He blinked. The spaghetti must be ready by now.

“I HOPE YOU’RE HUNGRY, FOR I, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS, HAVE PREPARED MY FAMOUS BREAKFAST SPAGHETTI, JUST FOR YOU!” He said, having no trouble with this line of speech. “NYEH HEH HEH!”

“UEE HEE HEE!” Jevil laughed along. “HOW DELIGHTFUL!”

Papyrus could practically hear his excitement.

It made him stand a little taller, his chest puffing out in pride. It felt amazing to have a friend who could appreciate his greatness and cool personality. Maybe his dream of being showered in kisses every morning wasn’t so far fetched after all.

“I SUPPOSE I SHOULD GO GET THAT LAZYBONES OF A BROTHER WHILE YOU HELP YOURSELF TO THE FOOD. HE HAS A STORE TO RUN, AND I WILL _NOT_ ALLOW HIM TO SKIP WORK JUST SO HE CAN NAP ALL NIGHT AND DAY!” He announced as he handed the jester a plate of spaghetti.

Papyrus was about to head for the stairs when he stopped briefly. He turned back around to look at Jevil Jevil. “OH, AND REMEMBER NOT TO WAVE YOUR HANDS AROUND WHILE YOU EAT THE SPAGHETTI!”

Jevil merely nodded as he began devouring the food like a vacuum cleaner. Satisfied, the tall skeleton headed for his brother’s room, praying that Sans had actually _slept_ this night – because again, believe it or not, Papyrus did, in fact, notice a lot of things. And his brother’s exhausted state was but one of them.

* * *

Sans did not sleep well that night.

But then again, Sans did not sleep well most nights, so that wasn’t anything new. He could, however, not come to comprehend why his hours meant for rest were plagued by vivid dreams and nightmares, and especially not when the aforementioned seemed like memories and visions of a life that appeared so alike and yet unlike his own. Sans supposed it was just one of the many downsides to messing with time and space as much as he did.

To summarize, Sans hadn’t slept a wink that night. He lay on his mattress, a few springs poking his back uncomfortably – something that made him contemplate getting a new one pretty soon. His trash tornado whirled about in its usual trashy glory, adding to the comfort that was his room. A safe place, a haven...but also a place of nightmare induced paranoia, intensive contemplation, loneliness and a dull sense of nihilism. He didn’t really know what to think about his room at this point. He felt like he had been here his whole life, when in actuality it had only been a week at most.

Talk about jumbled up realities.

He glanced at his window, the sun streaming in through the little gaps that couldn’t be covered by the curtains. Sunlight. The sun. That was good, the sun was good. It meant he was still here, still above ground.

For some reason, Sans had a feeling things would take a drastic turn for the worse, and pretty soon too. He wasn’t sure when or where, the equations weren’t there, but he just knew he wouldn’t like what was about to come. It might have stemmed from dejavu or some timeline shenanigans, but in the end – Sans the skeleton didn’t want to get up and face the day.

He knew he had to. That store he bought recently wasn’t going to man itself, after all, and by now all of his regular customers would be wondering when it would open. It was the only real income he had as of yet, which wasn’t enough to pay the bills – not even by a long shot. Sans supposed he would have to hunt for a few extra jobs after his shift at the store ended.

At least he and Papyrus got to live in a better place now. Speaking of which, how was he and that odd Darkner faring? That thought certainly made his weary bones kick into gear, if nothing else. He still didn’t trust Jevil, and he definitely didn’t want to leave his bro all alone in the company of an unstable, likely insane jester.

Sans sighed.

“welp, better get ready to greet whatever life’s gonna throw at me next.” He said and sat up. “paps is probably gonna be here at any moment now to fetch me. heh.”

As if that sentence alone had magically summoned him, Papyrus’ loud and distinct knocking came from his door.

Knock knock knock.

Sans grinned.

“who’s there?”

There was a loud groan and a stomping sound on the other end.

“SANS, I WILL NOT STAND FOR YOUR JOKES THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING!” His bro yelled, yet despite that the small skeleton could practically see Papyrus trying not to smile from behind the door.

His grin widened. “then you gotta sit down, bro.”

“NYEH!!!”

His door then slammed open, and in strolled the great Papyrus. Sans gave him a lazy smile, his eyes softening with affection. There he stood, his super cool bro, gloved hands perched on his hipbones and stern expression giving way to something mild and kind.

To him, Papyrus shone infinitely brighter than the sun ever could.

“WELL,” His brother began, glancing down at Sans. “I SEE YOU’RE AWAKE, AT LEAST. THAT’S GREAT, BROTHER! ARE YOU READY TO TACKLE THIS NEW AND EXCITING DAY? OUR LITTLE FRIEND IS WAITING FOR YOU DOWNSTAIRS!”

Sans was about to agree when Papyrus’ last sentence put a damper to his previously uplifted mood. Right. That guy.

He didn’t let any of this cloud his tone. “sure, paps, i was _bone_ ready.” He winked.

“SANS!” Papyrus scolded, and then swiftly went over and picked him up.

“whoa.” He said as he latched on to his brother like a baby koala to steady himself. “ _carry_ on then, paps.”

“OH MY GOD, STOP THIS TOMFOOLERY AT ONCE!” Papyrus _Nyeh_ ’ed as they left the smaller skeleton’s room.

Sans chuckled. Maybe this day wouldn’t be as bad as he had initially thought.

* * *

While Papyrus went about cleaning the kitchen, Sans sat beside Jevil on the green couch. The two of them hadn’t shared a single word with each other so far, but that was mostly due to Papyrus stuffing them with as much pasta glory as they could possibly fit. He felt a bit sick, to be honest, but it was totally worth it when he saw his bro’s face light up with pure joy. It radiated more than a well-decorated Christmas tree on a starry night.

His non-existent gut churned. Yep, totally worth it.

His eye lights turned to look at the jester sitting awfully still. After all the chaos the little Darkner had caused so far, it was actually quite unnerving when he wasn’t being his hyperactive self. Sans wondered if he should be worried.

“so...” He began, not really knowing what to say. “my bro. what do you think of him?”

Jevil turned to stare at him, his own yellow eye lights shining with mischief and a hint of madness.

“YOUR BROTHER IS A FUN, FUN GUY.” He said, smiling widely. “AND THIS SPAGHETTI HE MAKES, IT’S DELICIOUS!”

“NYEH HEH HEH, THANK YOU!” Came Papyrus’s voice from the kitchen. It wasn’t surprising, really, because Jevil spoke so loudly Sans bet everyone in the neighborhood could hear him if they listened.

“UEE HEE HEE, YOU’RE WELCOME, BONE-MAN!” Jevil said.

At that point in time, Sans came to regard this guy a little higher. Anyone who liked his brother enough to compliment him couldn’t be _too bad_. He was just glad Papyrus finally seemed to get his rightfully deserved attention.

But when he turned his skull to look at the jester more directly, Sans startled. Jevil appeared to be _covered_ in dust, of all things, and his SOUL was pulsing with newly gained LOVE. The small skeleton narrowed his eye sockets, his perpetual grin lessening slightly. When had this happened, and to whom? He supposed it must have taken place at night, and with that revelation came the memory of the television being turned on at an ungodly hour. Sans regretted not leaving his room at that point in time now.

“...you’ve been busy, huh?” He found himself saying, his previous animosity returning.

Jevil blinked, his smile still present. “HOW SO?”

Sans’ left eye socket twitched. Then he rose a brow bone.

“night is for sleeping, buddy. not whatever _you’ve_ been up to.”

“...OH!” The jester suddenly exclaimed. “BOO HOO HOO, HOW SAD, SO SAD. I ONLY PLAYED A SIMPLE GAME! SURELY THERE’S ROOM FOR THAT, UEE HEE HEE!”

Sans could only stare at him. Was it even possible to reach someone like him? It appeared his gut feeling was right from the very beginning – which was incredible, seeing as he had no gut.

This Darkner was dangerous. Unstable. A loose cannon.

If this had been a game, Sans was sure a boss battle soundtrack would be playing in the background right about now.

“ok.” The short skeleton conceded. “then let me give you a piece of advice. the road you’re walking on is a dangerous one, so take it from me, pal. if you keep going the way you are...you’re gonna have a **bad time**.”

His words seemed to have no effect on Jevil whatsoever, aside from his smile stretching and eyes widening.

“NU-HA! MAYBE YOU AREN’T AS BORING AS I PREVIOUSLY TOOK YOU FOR, BONE-BOY. MY OFFER TO PLAY, PLAY STILL STANDS!”

“...nah.”

Not yet, at least. It was too much work to begin with, his own feelings aside.

“THAT REMINDS ME.” Jevil continued. “DO YOU KNOW, KNOW OF A BEING WHO CALLS HIMSELF W. D. GASTER?”

If someone had crashed through the living room then and there while driving a truck and ran him over, crushing all of his bones and dusting him, Sans would have been less surprised than the literal punch he felt himself receive when that name had been spoken. His whole body froze up, and then unfroze again. His eye lights had been snuffed out, leaving only gaping black holes left to stare at the stranger on his couch.

Gaster.

W. D. Gaster.

But no, that couldn’t be right. Sans must have heard wrong, he must have, for no one but him remembered – no one _should_ remember either, not even _himself_. Maybe he had spaced out and imagined it all, or maybe his twisted mind just loved to mess with him.

It had to be the reason.

“...h-heh. sorry, i didn’t quite catch that.” Sans breathed, not taking his hollow eyes off of the jester, his gaze piercing. “mind repeating that again?”

“OH, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THAT NOTHING PERSON AGAIN?” Papyrus called from the kitchen, and Sans vaguely heard the sound of the sink being turned off.

Jevil nodded. “YES, YES. W. D. GASTER!”

“WHO?” His brother asked, sounding very confused. He stuck his head out of the kitchen to look at them.

Suddenly, Sans was somewhere else. Somewhere far away from his living room. The homey colors shifted to duller ones, more clean and sterile, gray and boring. A tall man stood before him, clad in a white lab coat, smiling down at him with fondness. Another flash of memories and Sans found himself joking with a team of scientists, working on several devices and machines and constructing their biggest project to date. The tall man was there as well, going over all of the equations, science and procedures. The CORE was as looming as ever, and the man stood just a little too close to the edge. That machine had turned out to be his downfall...everyone’s downfall.

The man fell. Sans screamed his name, but it was far too late. Reality seemed to rip apart at its seams, and his body was torn to excruciating little pieces – molecule by painful molecule.

Sans snapped back to the present, panting like he had run a marathon. He was shaking, his bones rattling with the motion. Even with his mind all foggy, Sans took note of Papyrus standing before him, hovering over him with worry practically dripping off of him.

Sans had to calm down. He had to pull himself together. He couldn’t – _wouldn’t_ – worry his brother. It was just a name. Just a name. Nothing more, nothing less.

He wasn’t even sure if those memories were his own.

“SANS?!” Papyrus’ voice seemed to break through some sort of auditory barrier he didn’t even know had been there. “SANS, BROTHER, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! WHAT HAPPENED???”

The small skeleton took a deep breath and willed his pupils back. “s-sorry, bro. i’m okay, _snow_ problem.” He said lamely.

“SANS...” Papyrus said, still sounding very worried.

“really, bro. it’s nothing. no _skin_ off my bones.”

The taller skeleton rested his right hand on Sans’ skull, patting it a few times.

“NYEH! WELL, IF YOU INSIST! JUST KNOW THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS TALK TO ME ABOUT ANYTHING, Alright, Brother?” He said, his voice lowering near the end.

Sans nearly winced. Man, how uncool was he to worry his cool bro?

“thanks paps.” He eventually said, turning his attention back to their guest once Papyrus had left for the kitchen.

He cleared his non-existent throat. “welp. how do you know about gaster?”

Jevil, for his part, had stayed very quiet during the whole ordeal, and for that Sans was thankful. He didn’t want to deal with whatever just happened. The jester’s smile fell a bit, which was an odd sight to behold.

“HE CAME TO ME, ONE DAY, MANY YEARS AGO. HE – THE ONE WHO GRANTED ME MY FREEDOM – SHOWED ME HOW THE WORLD TRULY, TRULY WORKS. WITH HIS INSIGHT, I GAINED A NEW PERSPECTIVE, ONE OF FUN, SUCH FUN! CHAOS, CHAOS! GAMES, IT’S ALL A GAME!” Jevil breathed, his smile widening again.

“BUT THE DARK WORLD IMPRISONED THEMSELVES SHORTLY AFTER, BOO HOO HOO, UEE HEE HEE! GASTER VISITS ME IN MY DREAMS, SOMETIMES, AND HE WANTS ME TO COLLECT, COLLECT HIS SCATTERED PIECES ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. I COULDN’T HELP HIM BACK THEN, BUT HE HAS RETURNED ONCE MORE, NOW THAT I AM HERE. AND SO THAT IS WHY I COME TO YOU, YOU. HE SEEMS TO KNOW OF YOU, LITTLE SKELE-MAN, AND SAID YOU WOULD BE VITAL TO HIS PLAN!”

Now that the initial shock had receded, Sans felt utterly lost. Gaster wanted to return? There were pieces of him scattered around the universe? He wasn’t gone for good? Sans had dreamt of Gaster too, sometimes, but he had always just shrugged it off as yet another one of his countless nightmares. Now he wasn’t sure what to think anymore. How could this Darkner come into their lives and turn it completely upside down? Although...If this wasn’t some sort of elaborate prank – if Gaster truly _could_ return – then who was Sans to deny such a golden opportunity?

Also, what the hell had Gaster shown Jevil to make him this mentally unstable? Sans shivered at the thought.

“SO, WHAT DO YOU SAY, SAY, SKELETON? ARE YOU IN FOR AN EXCITING RIDE?”

Sans eyed him warily. “..is what you’re saying even possible?”

“YES!” Jevil cheered while he bounced up and down on the couch. “I CAN DO ANYTHING!”

Sans shrugged. “sure, okay. follow me.” He said as he stood up from the couch, fully intending to have this conversation somewhere more...private.

He knew Papyrus had likely heard every word that had been spoken, and yet he still didn’t want to involve his little brother in all of this mess. Sans didn’t have much to lose at this point, but Papyrus was the one person he would _never_ put in danger – especially not for something as bizarre as this.

“WHERE ARE WE GOING?” Jevil asked while he jumped off the couch and followed.

“just a little walk around the lake. i know a shortcut.”

He turned his gaze to the kitchen, where his bro was currently fiddling with some of the many bones he stored under the ridiculously tall sink. Sans’ smile felt forced despite it being permanent.

“papyrus, we’re gonna head out for a bit. won’t be gone long.” He said, looking up at his brother.

Said brother turned around, his expression surprised and slightly worried.

“OM MY GOD? YOU’RE TAKING A WALK?? WITHOUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAVING TO FORCE YOU??? WOWIE!” He squealed, sounding very proud. “WELL THEN, BY ALL MEANS, HAVE FUN, BROTHER! BUT!” He narrowed his eye sockets. “BE SURE TO HEAD OVER TO YOUR STORE AFTER THAT! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING RIGHT NOW!”

Oh. Right.

Sans had completely forgotten about that. He scratched the back of his skull. It wasn’t like he got many customers to begin with.

“sure thing, bro.” He said. “i’ll _store_ that in my memory.”

Wink.

“OH MY GOD, SANS, JUST LEAVE!”

Jevil giggled. “UEE HEE HEE, GOOD ONE, GOOD ONE!”

Well, at least someone appreciated his puns.

* * *

The barren trees’ leaves had all scattered long ago, some of them still floating on the surface of the glittering lakeside. During spring, summer and autumn, the water itself was a deep blue, but when winter time came around it brightened to a crystal clear blue. The air was frigid and cold, and no one had set foot around the place in a while, making the snow-covered ground fresh and free of any footprints.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, two figures emerged. One was a skeleton, the other a jester.

Jevil glanced around, drinking in the sight with rapt attention. Everything in this world was so bright – truly befitting of the Lightners, one could say.

Sans turned around to confront the now floating jester.

“you know, _pal_.” He began, shuffling his feet through the snow. “i’m not sure if i trust you with this. or at all.”

There was a brief pause as the skeleton thought. Jevil let him, ignoring the sudden urge to throw a Devilsknife at him. Now was not the time for games, sadly.

“but i can’t deny you know of gaster somehow, even if that’s supposed to be impossible.” Then he mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like _‘you dirty cheater’_.

“so,” He began again. “mind telling me how we are doing this? gathering his pieces or something, right?”

Jevil nodded. “THAT IS CORRECT. GASTER TOLD ME YOU WOULD KNOW WHAT TO DO ONCE I DISCLOSED THIS INFORMATION TO YOU. HE ALSO, ALSO TOLD ME TO SPEAK WITH THE LIGHTNERS, BUT I’LL DO THAT LATER.”

Sans blinked. “so it all rests on me, huh.” He said, averting his eye lights. “i might have some ideas already, but it’ll take a little while before we can get to gathering these pieces you claim is scattered across our universe.”

He walked over to the edge of the lake and stared down at his own reflection. Jevil followed suit, watching his own image ripple with the soft waves.

“’cause,” Sans continued his speech. “we don’t really know where any of them are located, and neither do we know what to do with them once they are found. all we can really do at this point is to wait until gaster shows himself in either of our dreams, and in the meantime we can be on the lookout for anything relating to his pieces. any sort of intel will do. if i know gaster right – and i think i do – then he’ll find a way to lead us to his pieces...in one way or another.”

The small skeleton shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe this was all real.

“i’ll also try to invent some kind of device that can measure the frequencies of his pieces, but i’ll have to know what to look for in the first place. i could probably built it if we had at least one piece to work with.” He shrugged. “does that work for you?”

“YOU’VE REALLY, REALLY THOUGHT THIS THROUGH! YES, THAT SHOULD WORK WONDERS. I’M SURE GASTER IS THRILLED RIGHT NOW, UEE HEE HEE!”

Sans nodded. “ok, great. see ya later then. i’ve got a store to run.”

And then the skeleton was gone, vanished into one of his shortcuts.

Jevil kicked at the water, his reflection distorting. He grinned. Things were going exactly according to Gaster’s plan.

“NOW, I SUPPOSE I SHOULD PAY MY LITTLE MONARCH A VISIT. HA HA HA!”

And just in time, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you all so much for reading this story! It really means a lot to me, and it also makes me write the chapters faster, haha.
> 
> Also, confused yet? Don't worry, it will all make sense in the end...I hope.


End file.
